Flora of North America species comparison

1-12 cm, slender.

20-110 cm.

closed for 1/6 – 1/4 their length, terete;

ligules 1-3 mm, milky white to hyaline, smooth;

blades 0.5-2 mm wide, flat or folded, or slightly inrolled, thin, without papillae (at 100x), apices narrowly prow-shaped.

closed for (1/5)1/4 – 1/2(3/5) their length, distinctly compressed and keeled, usually densely retrorsely scabrous, rarely sparsely scabrous, margins not ciliate;

ligules 3-12 mm, densely scabrous, acute to acuminate;

blades (1.2)1.5-6(10) mm wide, flat, lax, apices broadly prow-shaped.

all or mainly intra-vaginal.

mixed intra- and extra-vaginal.

1-3 cm, erect, contracted, usually exserted from the sheaths;

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

pedicels shorter than the spikelets.

(6)12-40 cm, lax, eventually open, spikelets numerous, with 2-7 branches per node;

branches (3)5-18(23) cm, eventually spreading or drooping, angled, angles densely scabrous, with (5)8-40(120) spikelets.

3-4 mm, laterally compressed, green or anthocyanic;

florets 2-3;

rachilla internodes shorter than 1 mm, smooth.

(3)4-7(8) mm, laterally compressed, with 3-7 florets;

rachilla internodes shorter than 1 mm, smooth.

usually equaling or exceeding the lowest lemmas, sometimes also equaling or exceeding the upper florets, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, keels smooth;

lower glumes 3-veined;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 2.5-3 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, thin, usually glabrous, keels and marginal veins rarely sparsely puberulent proximally, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous;

anthers 0.2-0.8 mm.

distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes 2-3.5 mm, 1-veined;

upper glumes 2.5-4.2 mm, shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed;

lemmas 2.6-4.2 mm, narrowly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, scabrous distally, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, keel hairs extending to midlength, marginal vein hairs to 1/3 the lemma length, lateral veins and intercostal regions usually sparsely softly puberulent, lateral veins prominent, apices narrowly acute;

palea keels scabrous, glabrous;

anthers 0.3-1 mm.

= 14.

= 14, 28.