Flora of North America species comparison

10-65 cm, erect to decumbent.

15-60(70) cm, erect to decumbent, wiry.

overlapping, margins ciliate, apices with tufts of hairs, hairs to 2 mm;

ligules 0.1-0.4 mm;

blades usually conspicuously distichous, 4-16 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, flat to loosely involute, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, margins scabridulous.

often inflated, sometimes with sparse hairs basally, hairs papillose-based, glabrous or the apices with small tufts of hairs, hairs to 3 mm;

ligules 0.1-0.3 mm;

blades 2-12(25) cm long, 0.6-2 mm wide, flat to loosely involute, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, bases of both surfaces sometimes with a few papillose-based hairs, margins smooth or scabridulous.

3-10 cm long, 0.4-1.6 cm wide, contracted, spikelike, dense;

primary branches 0.5-2 cm, appressed, spikelet-bearing to the base;

pedicels 0.2-1.4 mm, appressed.

terminal and axillary, 1-5 cm long, 0.2-0.5 cm wide, contracted, cylindrical, enclosed in the uppermost sheath;

lower nodes with 1-2(3) branches;

primary branches 0.4-1.8 cm, appressed, spikelet-bearing to the base;

secondary branches appressed;

pedicels 0.2-4 mm, appressed, scabridulous.

(1.8)2-3.2 mm, yellowish-white to purplish-tinged, sometimes grayish.

2.3-6 mm, yellowish to purplish- or grayish-mottled.

subequal, ovate-oblong, membranous;

lower glumes 1.5-2.4 mm;

upper glumes 1.8-3(3.2) mm;

lemmas 2.1-3 mm, ovate to lanceolate, membranous, glabrous, acute;

paleas 2.1-3 mm, ovate, membranous;

anthers 3, 1-1.7 mm, yellowish.

subequal, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-triangular or ovate, membranous to chartaceous, glabrous;

lower glumes (2.2)2.8-4.7 mm;

upper glumes (2.4)3-5 mm;

lemmas (2.1)3-5.4 mm, lanceolate to lanceolate-triangular, 1-3-veined, chartaceous, often mottled with purplish or grayish areas, strigose, hairs less than 0.5 mm, apices acuminate or acute;

paleas (2.1)3-6 mm, as long as or longer than the lemmas, sometimes tapering into a beak, lanceolate to lanceolate-triangular, chartaceous, strigose;

anthers 3, 1.2-3.2 mm, yellowish or purplish.

not known.

(1.1)1.8-2.7 mm, obovoid, laterally flattened, light brownish, translucent.

= 20, 30.

= 54.