Flora of North America species comparison

15-60 cm, erect or the bases decumbent, not branching above the base, terete or weakly compressed;

nodes terete, 0-1 exserted.

5-15(20) cm, slender, leafless above the basal tuft.

closed for about 1/2 their length, slightly compressed, distinctly keeled, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 4-60 times blade lengths;

collars of proximal leaves usually retrorsely scabrous or pubescent distally and about the throat;

ligules 0.5-4 mm, smooth or scabrous, apices truncate to acute;

innovation blades similar to the cauline blades;

cauline blades 1-4 mm wide, usually flat, sometimes slightly folded, smooth or sparsely scabrous, primarily over the veins, apices broadly prow-shaped, blades steeply reduced in length distally, flag leaf blades 0.2-3(6) cm.

closed for 1/10 – 1/4 their length, terete;

ligules 0.4-5.5 mm, milky white to hyaline, smooth or scabrous, apices truncate to acute;

blades 0.8-1.5(2) mm wide, involute, moderately thick, soft, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

mainly extravaginal.

all or mainly intravaginal.

5-15 cm, erect or lax, pyramidal, open, sparse, with 20-80 spikelets, proximal internodes usually 3+ cm;

nodes usually with 2 branches;

branches (2)3-7(10) cm, spreading to reflexed, straight, angled, angles scabrous, with 2-8(10) spikelets.

1.5-5 cm, erect, lanceoloid to ovoid, contracted, congested;

nodes with 1-3 branches;

branches to 1.5 cm, erect, slender, terete, sulcate or angled, smooth or the angles sparsely scabrous;

pedicels usually shorter than the spikelets.

5-8 mm, lengths to 3.5 times widths, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic;

florets 2-5;

rachilla internodes smooth.

4-6.5 mm, laterally compressed, rarely bulbiferous, frequently strongly anthocyanic;

florets 2-5, rarely bulb-forming;

rachilla internodes usually shorter than 1 mm, smooth or scabrous.

narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, distinctly keeled;

lower glumes 1-3-veined;

calluses webbed, hairs over 1/3 the lemma length;

lemmas 3-6 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels and marginal veins sparsely short- to long-villous, lateral veins moderately prominent, intercostal regions glabrous or the upper florets in the spikelets softly puberulent, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous, softly puberulent at midlength;

anthers vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm) or 2-3.5 mm.

subequal to slightly longer than the adjacent lemmas, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels smooth;

lower glumes (1)3-veined, lateral veins often faint and short;

upper glumes exceeding or exceeded by the upper florets;

calluses glabrous or webbed;

lemmas 3-4.6 mm, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, thin, keels and marginal veins usually short- to long-villous, hairs extending along 3/4 - 5/6 of the keel, infrequently glabrous, intercostal regions glabrous or softly puberulent to short-villous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous, often short-villous to softly puberulent at midlength, sometimes glabrous;

anthers 0.2-1.2(1.8) mm.

= 28.

= 42.