Flora of North America species comparison

(10) 25-80(120) cm tall, 0.4-1.75 mm thick, usually erect;

nodes terete, usually 1-2 exserted.

spindly to stout, terete or weakly to strongly compressed;

nodes 0-5, exserted.

closed for 1/2 - 7/8 their length, usually weakly compressed and keeled, usually scabrous, rarely smooth;

ligules 1.5-5(10) mm, smooth or scabrous, acute;

blades 1-7(10) mm wide, flat, lax, soft, finely scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped, cauline blades 2-10 cm.

terete or weakly to strongly compressed, closed only at the base or up to full length, fusion of the margins not extended by a hyaline membrane, basal sheaths usually glabrous, rarely sparsely retrorsely strigose, hairs about 0.1 mm;

ligules 0.1-18 mm, thinly membranous and white to milky white or hyaline, truncate to acuminate, entire or erose to lacerate, smooth or ciliolate;

blades flat, folded, or involute, thin to thick, smooth or sparsely to densely scabrous, adaxial surfaces glabrous or hairy, hispidulous or puberulent, apices narrowly to broadly prow-shaped.

intravaginal.

intra- and/or extravaginal or pseudointravaginal.

10-25(30) cm, erect, eventually open, with (1)3-5(7) branches per node;

branches eventually spreading or reflexed, fairly straight, angled, angles usually moderately to densely scabrous, rarely sparsely scabrous.

1-41 cm, erect to nodding or lax, tightly contracted to open, with 1-100+ spikelets;

branches 0.5-20 cm, erect to reflexed, terete or angled, smooth or sparsely to densely scabrous, usually glabrous, rarely hispidulous, with 1 to many spikelets.

(2)4-6 mm, laterally compressed, with 2-5 florets;

rachilla internodes about 1 mm, smooth, usually softly puberulent, infrequently glabrous.

2-12 mm, subterete to strongly laterally compressed, sometimes bulbiferous;

florets (1)2-8(13);

rachilla internodes smooth or scabrous, glabrous or pubescent.

slightly unequal, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels and sometimes the lateral veins sparsely to moderately scabrous;

lower glumes 1-3-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses of some or all florets sparsely webbed;

lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, crisply puberulent proximally, hairs evenly distributed, finely scabrous distally, lateral veins obscure to prominent, margins narrowly hyaline, glabrous, apices narrowly acute, infrequently anthocyanic;

palea keels sparsely scabrous, glabrous or softly puberulent at midlength, intercostal regions usually softly puberulent;

anthers 3, 0.2-1 mm.

shorter than to slightly exceeding the adjacent lemmas, weakly to distinctly keeled, smooth or scabrous;

calluses blunt, usually terete or slightly laterally compressed, sometimes slightly dorsally compressed, glabrous, dorsally webbed, diffusely webbed, or with a crown of hairs;

lemmas 1.7-11 mm, rounded to weakly or distinctly keeled, thinly membranous to chartaceous, glabrous or hairy on the keel and veins, sometimes the intercostal regions also hairy, 5-7(11)-veined, margins smooth or scabrous, glabrous, apices obtuse to acuminate;

palea keels usually scabrous, infrequently smooth, glabrous or with hairs;

anthers (1-2)3, 0.1-4.5(5) mm.

= unknown.