Flora of North America species comparison

to 150 cm tall, to 10 mm thick, erect, terete, solitary or in small clumps, succulent, glabrous, often with adventitious roots from the lower nodes, having an unpleasant, sulphurous odor when fresh.

40-100 cm tall, 2-3.5 mm thick, usually solitary, erect, terete, indurate, glabrous.

mostly glabrous, throats sparsely pilose, lower sheaths sometimes somewhat wrinkled;

ligules 1-2 mm;

blades 8-12 mm wide, flat to loosely involute, glabrous, margins usually smooth, sometimes slightly scabrous, apices acuminate.

smooth or striate, mostly or completely glabrous, throats occasionally ciliate;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades 6-30 cm long, 2.5-8 mm wide, flat, becoming involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous, margins scabrous.

12-25 cm, with 3-25 branches, smoothly cylindrical, often partially enclosed in the uppermost sheath;

rachises twisted, glabrous;

branches 2-8 cm, usually closely appressed and twisted, lower branches noticeably longer and less closely imbricate than the upper branches, all branches with axes rarely extending past the distal spikelets, with 8-30 spikelets.

8-25 cm, not smooth in outline, with 3-12 branches;

branches 1.5-8 cm, alternate, differing only slightly in length and spacing within a panicle, usually appressed, rarely spreading, with 10-30 spikelets.

8-25 mm, usually appressed, often appearing twisted, those on the lower branches usually less closely imbricate than those on the upper branches.

6-11 mm, ovate to lanceolate.

usually curved, sides and keels glabrous, scabrous, or hispid, apices acuminate to obtuse or rounded;

lower glumes 6-12 mm;

upper glumes 8-25 mm, 1-veined;

lemmas glabrous or sparsely appressed pubescent on the sides, keels glabrous, apices obtuse, rounded or lobed;

paleas slightly exceeding the lemmas, thin, papery, glabrous, apices usually rounded, rarely acuminate;

anthers 3-6 mm.

with glabrous or sparingly hispidulous margins, apices acute or mucronate;

lower glumes 3-7 mm, sides narrow, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, keels glabrous or strigose;

upper glumes 6-10 mm, usually equaling the florets, keels strigose, hairs 0.2-0.5 mm, lateral veins 2, inconspicuous, both on the same side of the keel;

lemmas glabrous or sparsely hirsute, keels hirsute, at least distally, hairs 0.3-1 mm, margins sparsely hairy, apices obtuse to rounded, sometimes obscurely lobed;

paleas sparsely hispid distally, obtuse to slightly rounded;

anthers 2.5-5 mm, well-filled, dehiscent at maturity.

= 60.

= 40.