Flora of North America species comparison

20-60(100) cm, bases decumbent or sometimes erect, terete, with 1-2 exserted nodes.

2-10(18) cm, erect to spreading;

nodes terete, none exserted.

closed for 1/10 – 1/5(1/4) their length, terete, bases of basal sheaths glabrous;

ligules 2-5 mm, milky white, smooth or sparsely scabrous, acute to acuminate;

innovation blades similar in texture and shape to the cauline blades;

cauline blades not greatly reduced upwards, 1.5-4(5) mm wide, flat or folded, thin, lax, smooth or sparsely scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

closed for 1/10 – 1/5 their length, terete, smooth, glabrous, bases of basal sheaths glabrous, distal sheath lengths 1.5-7 times blade lengths;

collars smooth, glabrous;

ligules 1-3 mm, milky white, smooth or sparsely scabrous, apices obtuse to acute, ligules of upper innovation leaves shorter than 3 mm;

innovation blades similar to the cauline blades;

cauline blades 1-3.5(4.5) cm long, 0.9-1.8 mm wide, folded, moderately thick, soft, smooth, glabrous, adaxial surfaces infrequently sparsely scabrous, usually with papillae on the long cells (at 100x), apices narrowly prow-shaped, flag leaf blades folded, 1-1.8 mm wide, abaxial surfaces with 7-15 closely spaced, slightly protruding ribs.

mostly extravaginal, some intravaginal.

all or mainly intravaginal.

5-18(25) cm, lax, loosely contracted to open, sparse, with 20-65 spikelets and usually 2(7) branches per node;

branches 3-15 cm, ascending to spreading, angled, angles finely to coarsely, sparsely to fairly densely scabrous, infrequently smooth, with 3-10(15) spikelets in the distal 1/2.

1-4(6) cm, erect, ovoid to lanceoloid, contracted, congested, with 9-40 spikelets;

nodes with 1-3 branches;

branches 0.5-1.5 cm, erect, fairly straight, sulcate or angled, angles sparsely to densely scabrous, with 1-7 spikelets;

pedicels shorter than the spikelets.

6-10 mm, lengths 3-3.6 times widths, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, laterally compressed, sometimes bulbiferous, drab, often slightly glaucous;

florets 3-4(7), normal or bulb-forming;

rachilla internodes 1.2-2 mm, slightly dorsally compressed, smooth or sparsely muriculate.

3.5-6 mm long, lengths to 3.5(3.8) times widths, lanceolate, laterally compressed, fairly strongly anthocyanic, not glaucous;

florets 2-3;

rachilla internodes terete, to 1.5 mm, smooth, sometimes sparsely hispidulous.

subequal, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, dull, frequently glaucous, obtuse to acute;

lower glumes 3-veined;

upper glumes (3.7)4.1-6.5 mm;

calluses usually crowned with 0.2-2 mm hairs, sometimes glabrous;

lemmas 4-6 mm, lanceolate, distinctly compressed, distinctly keeled, keels, marginal veins, and sometimes the lateral veins short- to long-villous, hairs extending for 3/4 of the keel, intercostal regions glabrous, sparsely puberulent or hispidulous proximally, usually sparsely to moderately densely scabrous distally, hairs distinctly shorter than those of the keel and veins, margins weakly inrolled, broadly scarious, glabrous, apices acute;

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

anthers 1.2-2 mm, sometimes aborted late in development or undeveloped.

lanceolate, smooth, distinctly keeled, keels sparsely scabrous;

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

upper glumes frequently exceeding the lowest lemmas, exceeded by the upper lemmas;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 3-4.9 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, thin, smooth or finely scabrous, glabrous or the keels and marginal veins sparsely puberulent proximally, lateral veins obscure, margins glabrous, apices acute;

palea keels scabrous;

anthers 0.6-1.3(1.8) mm.

= 42, [81, 84, 86?].

= unknown.