Flora of North America species comparison

solitary or not, unbranched proximal to inflorescence, trigonous, (6–)10–100(–125) cm (high-climbing into trees), weak or wiry.

usually in tufts, stout, 40–100 cm, glabrous, somewhat scabrous distally.

few to many per culm, cauline, 3-ranked;

sheaths present;

ligules usually well developed, sometimes obsolete;

blades well developed (or rudimentary, sometimes absent on proximal leaves), shorter than, equaling, or overtopping culms, plane, keeled, or revolute, 0.5–9 mm wide, stiff, with prominent midvein, glabrous, scabrous, or pubescent.

sheaths purplish, not winged, pilose or glabrous;

contra-ligules ovate, rarely trigonous;

blades linear, ribbed, shorter than culms, 3–9 mm wide, rigid, margins and midrib scabrous, sometimes slightly pubescent.

terminal, often axillary, sometimes pseudolateral, panicles, spikes, or 1 or more capitate or fasciculate clusters;

spikelets 1–100+;

bracts 1–3, ascending or erect, bristle-shaped, awl-shaped, or leaflike, sometimes appearing to be continuation of culm, 10–150 mm, shorter than or exceeding spikelets, glabrous or ciliate.

terminal and axillary, fasciculate;

fascicles 3, 15–40 × 5–15 mm, each with (1–) 3–10(–12) spikelets (smaller numbers in shade forms);

lateral peduncles erect, often becoming filiform and pendulous in deep shade forms;

bracts subtending inflorescence leaflike, lanceolate, 3–11 cm, long-acuminate-attenuate, ciliate or glabrous.

scales 3–10+, each subtending flower, distichous, proximal 2–4 scales empty, proximal fertile scale pistillate, distal fertile scales staminate or sometimes empty; occasionally some spikelets entirely pistillate or staminate.

bisexual and staminate (sometimes reduced to few flowers in bisexual spikelets), brown, 3–9 mm;

staminate scales ovate-mucronate to lanceolate-acuminate, pistillate scales ovate, midrib excurrent, often awnlike.

unisexual;

perianth absent;

stamens 1–3;

anthers 2–4 mm, apex usually mucronate or awned;

styles linear, 2–3-fid, base deciduous or persistent, hypogynium rudimentary or prominent, slender or enlarged.

trigonous or rounded, 1–4 mm, smooth, tuberculate, verrucose, or reticulate, occasionally pubescent.

sometimes grayish brown, sometimes with dark longitudinal bands, ovoid to subglobose, 2–3 mm, smooth, shining, apex obtuse;

hypogynium low, obscurely 3-angled, covered with whitish or brownish, siliceous, papillose-spiculose crust.