Flora of North America species comparison

7-35(60) cm, erect or decumbent.

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

rounded below, margins and apices hairy, hairs to 3 mm;

ligules 0.3-1 mm;

blades 2-12(20) cm long, 2-6 mm wide, flat, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial surface scabridulous, sometimes sparsely hispid, margins ciliate-pectinate.

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.

4-15(18) cm long, 0.3-6 cm wide, open (contracted when immature), pyramidal;

lower nodes with 7-12(15) branches;

primary branches 0.5-4.5 cm, spreading 30-90° from the rachis, with elongated glands, without spikelets on the lower 1/3 – 1/2, secondary branches appressed;

pedicels 0.1-0.5 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.

1.2-1.8 mm, plumbeous or brownish, often secund along the branch.

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

unequal, ovate to obovate, membranous;

lower glumes 0.3-0.7 mm, without midveins;

upper glumes 1.2-1.8 mm, at least 2/3 as long as the florets, often longer;

lemmas 1.2-1.7 mm, ovate to elliptic, membranous, glabrous, acute;

paleas 1.1-1.6 mm, ovate to elliptic, membranous, glabrous;

anthers 0.2-0.4 mm, yellowish or purplish.

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.

0.6-1 mm, obovoid, faintly striate, light brownish.

(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.

= 24, 36, 54.

= unknown.