Flora of North America species comparison

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

nodes glabrous, becoming dark.

(30)50-80(110) cm, sometimes slightly decumbent at the base, otherwise erect.

closed almost to the top;

ligules membranous, margins often united in front;

blades folded or loosely involute, glabrous or pilose.

7-13(17) cm, open or closed, often reduced to racemes in depauperate plants.

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.

11.5-17 mm.

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.

glabrous, acute;

lower glumes 4.2-6.2 mm, faintly (1)3-5-veined;

upper glumes 6-9 mm, faintly (3)5-veined;

lemmas 8-10.5(12) mm;

awns 8-15 mm, as long as or longer than the lemma bodies, somewhat twisted and divergent or slightly geniculate;

anthers 1.4-2 mm.

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

0.5-1.5 mm;

blades 2-4(5) mm wide, glabrous or adaxial surfaces pilose.

= 10.

= 20.