Flora of North America species comparison

15-60 cm, erect or spreading, bases bulbous.

10-30 cm.

closed for about 1/4 their length, terete, lowest sheaths with swollen bases;

ligules 1-3 mm, smooth or scabrous, apices obtuse to acute;

blades 1-2.5 mm wide, flat, thin, lax, soon withering.

closed for 1/4 - 3/5 their length, terete;

ligules 1-2 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, truncate to obtuse;

blades 1-3 mm wide, flat, thin, soft, apices broadly prow-shaped.

intravaginal.

mainly extravaginal.

3-12 cm, ovoid;

nodes with 2-5 branches;

branches ascending to spreading, terete, usually smooth or sparsely scabrous, infrequently moderately scabrous.

2.5-10 cm, lax to nearly erect, open, sparse, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches (2)3-6 cm, ascending to spreading, lower branches infrequently reflexed, lax or drooping, capillary, terete to slightly sulcate, usually smooth, rarely some branches within a panicle sparsely scabrous, with 1-3(5) spikelets.

3-5 mm, laterally compressed, usually bulbiferous;

florets 3-7, the basal floret, and sometimes additional florets, normal;

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

4-6 mm, laterally compressed, broadly lanceolate to ovate, usually dark purple, with 3-5 florets;

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes 3-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed or glabrous;

lemmas 3-4 mm, lanceolate, keeled, glabrous or the keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, intercostal regions glabrous or softly puberulent, apices acute;

paleas scabrous, keels often softly puberulent at midlength;

anthers 1.2-1.5 mm and functional, sometimes aborted late in development, sometimes not developed.

lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, thin, distinctly keeled, keels smooth or nearly so;

lower glumes 1-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses sparsely webbed;

lemmas 3-4 mm, broadly lanceolate, usually strongly purple, distinctly keeled, thin, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, keels hairy for 1/2-1/3 their length, lateral veins glabrous, intercostal regions smooth, glabrous, margins glabrous, not infolded, apices acute, sometimes slightly bronze-colored;

palea keels sparsely scabrous at midlength;

anthers 0.4-1 mm.

= 14, 21, 28, 39, 42, 45.

= 28, 42.