Flora of North America species comparison

30-110 cm, glabrous, often decumbent at the base;

nodes glabrous, becoming dark.

closed almost to the top;

ligules membranous, margins often united in front;

blades folded or loosely involute, glabrous or pilose.

panicles or racemes, with 4-20 spikelets;

branches straight and appressed to lax and drooping.

slightly laterally compressed, with 3-6 florets;

disarticulation above the glumes and beneath the florets.

exceeded by the lowest lemma in each spikelet, chartaceous, often anthocyanic below, the upper 1/3 hyaline;

calluses rounded, with hairs;

lemmas chartaceous, slightly scabrous, 7-9-veined, veins parallel, conspicuous, apices scarious, bifid, awned from below the teeth, awns 8-15 mm, divergent or slightly geniculate;

paleas shorter than the lemmas, 2-veined, veins ciliate, keeled;

lodicules truncate;

anthers 3;

ovaries glabrous.

3.2-3.8 mm, smooth, shiny, falling free of the lemma and palea.

= 10.