Flora of North America species comparison

(5)10-30 cm tall, 1.2-1.5 mm thick, bases decumbent, terete or weakly compressed, hispidulous beneath the panicles;

nodes terete, 0(1) exserted.

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

closed for about 1/2 their length, terete, smooth or sparsely to moderately retrorsely scabrous near the collars, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 0.9-3.5 times blade lengths;

collars sparsely to moderately retrorsely scabrous, glabrous;

ligules 1-2 mm, scabrous, truncate to obtuse, ciliolate;

innovation blades to 30 cm long, adaxial surfaces moderately to densely scabrous or hispidulous on and between the veins;

cauline blades subequal in length, 1-2 mm wide, involute, moderately thick, moderately firm, arcuate, abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces moderately to densely scabrous or hispidulous on and between the veins, apices narrowly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades 1-9 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.

mainly intravaginal, some extravaginal.

intravaginal.

1.5-6 cm, erect, compact, ovoid, contracted, infrequently interrupted, congested, with 15-50 spikelets;

nodes with 1-2 branches, internodes densely hispidulous;

branches 0.5-2 cm, erect, stiff, terete to weakly angled, densely hispidulous, with 1-5 spikelets.

3-12 cm, ovoid;

nodes with 2-5 branches;

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

7-12 mm, lengths to 3 times widths, laterally compressed, not sexually dimorphic;

florets 3-6;

rachilla internodes usually shorter than 0.5 mm, smooth, glabrous.

3-5 mm, laterally compressed, usually bulbiferous;

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

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

broadly lanceolate, 1/2 as long as to subequal to the adjacent lemmas, distinctly keeled;

lower glumes 3-veined;

upper glumes 4-4.5(7+) mm, 3-veined;

calluses usually with a crown of hairs, sometimes glabrous or diffusely webbed;

lemmas 5-7.5 mm, lanceolate, 5-veined, distinctly keeled, keels, marginal veins, and sometimes the lateral veins short- to long-villous or softly puberulent, rarely glabrous, lateral veins moderately prominent, intercostal regions smooth, glabrous, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous to pectinate-ciliate, intercostal regions glabrous;

anthers vestigial (0.1-0.2 mm) or (2)2.5-3.5 (4) mm.

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.

= 28.

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