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)20-40 cm, erect or decumbent, with 1-2 exserted nodes.

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 1/5-1/3 their length, terete, smooth, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 4-33 times blade lengths, smooth, glabrous;

ligules (1.5)2-5 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, margins distinctly decurrent, apices obtuse to acute, ligules of innovations prominent, milky white;

innovation blades similar to the cauline blades;

cauline blades gradually reduced in length upwards, (1)1.5-3 mm wide, flat, thick, fairly firm, smooth or sparsely scabrous, margins white, apices broadly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades 0.2-1.8 cm, infrequently absent.

mainly intravaginal, some extravaginal.

mainly 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.

4-8 cm, erect, linear to narrowly lanceoloid, contracted, moderately congested, with 9-35 spikelets;

nodes with 1-2 branches;

branches 1-2.5 cm, erect to steeply ascending, straight, sulcate or angled, angles sparsely to moderately scabrous, with 1-4 spikelets in the distal 1/2.

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.

7-9 mm, lengths 3.5-4 times widths, lanceolate, fairly compressed, pale, slightly lustrous;

florets (2)3-4;

rachilla internodes 1-2 mm.

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.

lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, margins broadly scarious, keels indistinct, smooth or sparsely scabrous;

lower glumes 3-veined, slightly to distinctly shorter than the lowest lemma;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 4.5-6 mm, lanceolate, somewhat weakly keeled, glabrous or the keels, marginal veins, and intercostal regions very sparsely puberulent over the proximal 1/3, lateral veins obscure, margins strongly inrolled proximally, broadly scarious distally, glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous, glabrous or puberulent at midlength;

anthers 2.2-3.5 mm.

= 28.

= 42.