Flora of North America species comparison

30-100 (120) cm.

40-130(150) cm tall, 1-4 mm thick, frequently glaucous.

usually keeled below, glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;

blades (6)10-30(50) cm long, 1-5 mm wide, flat, glabrous on both surfaces.

with sparsely hairy apices, hairs to 3 mm, not conspicuously tufted;

uppermost sheaths 0.5-3 mm wide;

ligules 0.1-0.4 mm;

blades 4-23 cm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, flat or involute, abaxial surface glabrous or pilose, adaxial surface glabrous or scabridulous, margins glabrous.

20-35(50) cm long, 0.3-2.2(3) cm wide, contracted, narrow, sometimes included in the uppermost sheath;

primary branches 0.4-2.5(5) cm, appressed or spreading to 40° from the rachis, as long or longer than the adjacent internodes;

secondary branches appressed, spikelet-bearing to near the base;

pulvini glabrous;

pedicels 0.1-1.8 mm, appressed.

terminal and axillary, 5-11 cm long, 0.04-0.2(0.3) cm wide, with 10-40 spikelets per cm2, narrow, sometimes spikelike, included in the uppermost sheath;

lower nodes with 1-2(3) branches;

primary branches 0.4-5 cm, appressed, spikelet-bearing to the base;

secondary branches appressed;

pulvini glabrous;

pedicels 0.3-3.5 mm, appressed, glabrous or scabridulous.

2-2.6(2.7) mm, plumbeous to light brownish.

4-9(10) mm, stramineous to purplish-tinged.

subequal, ovate or obovate, membranous;

lower glumes 0.5-1 mm, often without midveins;

upper glumes 0.8-1.6 mm, 1/2 - 2/3 as long as the florets, acute to obtuse, entire;

lemmas 1.8-2.6(2.7) mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous, acute or obtuse;

paleas 1.9-2.4 mm, ovate, membranous, glabrous;

anthers 3, 0.5-1.1 mm, white, sometimes purple-tinged.

subequal, lanceolate, membranous to chartaceous, mid-veins usually greenish;

lower glumes 1.5-6.2 mm;

upper glumes (2)2.5-5(6.5) mm, slightly shorter or longer than the lemmas;

lemmas (2.2)3-7(7.4) mm, lanceolate, chartaceous and opaque, minutely appressed pubescent or scabridulous, occasionally 2- or 3-veined, acute to obtuse;

paleas (2.2)3-9(10) mm, ovate to lanceolate, chartaceous;

anthers 2.2-3.2 mm, yellow to orangish.

1-1.2 mm, quadrangular, laterally compressed, reddish-brown, truncate.

(1.5)2.4-3.5 mm, ellipsoid, laterally flattened, often striate, reddish-brown;

pericarps loose, but neither gelatinous nor slipping from the seeds when wet.

= 18, 24, 36.

= unknown.