Flora of North America species comparison

5-100 cm, decumbent, spreading, trailing, often rooting at the lower nodes;

nodes glabrous.

5-150 cm, not woody, branched above the base;

internodes hollow.

and collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.7 mm long, membranous, truncate;

blades 1-14.3 cm long, 1.5-5.5 mm wide, glabrous, not cordate at the base.

cauline;

auricles sometimes present;

ligules membranous, sometimes ciliate;

blades flat or rolled, with or without cross venation.

0.5-9(13) cm long, 4-7 mm wide, contracted;

primary branches fused to the rachises for at least 3/4 of their length;

lower branches 0.1-0.5 cm;

pedicels 0.3-1.8 mm.

terminal, usually contracted, dense panicles, distal 1/2 of the rachises concealed by the spikelets;

branches fused to the rachises or free and appressed to ascending;

pedicels with discoid apices;

disarticulation below the glumes and below the upper florets.

2.1-3.3 mm, with or without papillose-based hairs on the upper glumes and lower lemmas, green to dark purple.

bisexual, with 2 florets, rounded to acute;

rachilla segments not swollen.

unequal, prominently veined, unawned;

lower glumes 3-7-veined;

upper glumes as long as or exceeding the upper florets, distinctly saccate or gibbous, 5-13-veined;

lower florets 0.8-1.9 mm, sterile or staminate, less than 1/2 as long as the spikelets;

lower lemmas resembling the upper glumes but not saccate, sometimes with a transverse row of hairs, 5-9-veined, unawned;

lower paleas present or absent, 0-2-veined;

upper lemmas subcoriaceous to subindurate, dorsally compressed, glabrous, smooth, margins inrolled or flat, never hyaline, faintly 3-5-veined;

upper paleas similar to the lemmas, 2-veined;

lodicules 2, fleshy, glabrous, x = 9.

1.1-1.9 mm, glabrous, 3-5(7)-veined, margins hyaline;

upper glumes 2-3.3 mm, slightly saccate, glabrous adaxially, 9-veined;

lower florets sterile (rarely staminate);

lower lemmas 1.9-3.1 mm, 7-9-veined, veins equidistant;

lower paleas 0.5-1 mm long, 0.1-0.2 mm wide, 1/2 or less as long as the lower lemmas, narrow, membranous, white, not veined;

upper lemmas 1.3-1.6 mm, subcoriaceous, glabrous, shiny, white, with 3-5 obscure veins, acute;

anthers 3, 0.5-0.8 mm, dark reddish-brown to reddish-purple;

styles purple.

1-1.3 mm long, 0.5-0.7 mm wide, glabrous.

= 18, 36.