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.

7-25 cm.

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 1/7-1/4(1/3) their length, terete;

ligules of cauline leaves 1-3 mm, milky white, usually densely scabrous, sometimes smooth, ligules of the upper innovation leaves 0.5-2.5 mm;

innovation blades adaxially scabrous, hispidulous, or puberulent on and between the veins, lacking papillae on the long cells (at 100x);

cauline blades folded to involute, moderately thick, soft or moderately firm, apices narrowly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades 1-2 mm wide, adaxial surfaces with 5-9 well-spaced ribs.

mainly intravaginal, some extravaginal.

all or 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.

3-6 cm, erect, narrowly lanceoloid, contracted, moderately congested;

nodes with 1-2 branches;

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

pedicels shorter than the spikelets.

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.

4.2-7 mm, laterally compressed, often strongly anthocyanic;

florets 2-4;

rachilla internodes 1-1.5 mm, smooth, sometimes sparsely hispidulous.

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, distinctly keeled, keels smooth;

lower glumes shorter than to equaling the lowest lemmas, 3-veined;

upper glumes frequently exceeding the lowest lemmas, 3-5-veined, exceeded by the upper lemmas;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 4.1-5.8 mm, narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, thin, glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous;

anthers 0.8-1.2(1.7) mm, infrequently aborted late in development.

= 28.

= unknown.