Flora of North America species comparison

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

4-20(30) cm, to 18 cm in bulbiferous plants, slender.

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 – 1/6 their length, terete;

ligules 1-4 mm, smooth;

blades 0.5-1.5(2) mm wide, flat or folded, thin, soft, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

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.

2-7 cm, 2-4 cm in bulbiferous plants, widths equal to lengths, erect, broadly rhomboidal to pyramidal, open, exserted from the sheaths, sparse;

branches 1.5-5 cm, ascending to spreading, divaricate, slender, sulcate or angled, angles sparsely to moderately scabrous;

pedicels often longer 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 mm, laterally compressed, rarely bulbiferous, usually strongly anthocyanic, glaucous or not;

florets 2-4, rarely bulb-forming;

rachilla internodes shorter than 1 mm, smooth to scabrous.

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.

distinctly keeled;

lower glumes subequal to equaling the lowest lemmas, 3-veined, upper glumes frequently longer than the lowest lemmas;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 2-3 mm, lanceolate, distinctly keeled, thin, keels and marginal veins crisply puberulent, rarely glabrous, intercostal regions glabrous, apices acute;

paleas scabrous over the keels;

anthers 0.2-0.7 mm.

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

= 14.