Flora of North America species comparison

1-4 m tall, to 3.5 cm thick, erect or decumbent, glabrous, readily rooting at the nodes when decumbent and producing leafy buds.

1-4 m, erect or decumbent, sometimes rooting at the nodes.

thick, glabrous;

ligules to 2 cm, glabrous;

blades to 1 m long, 6-30 mm wide, sometimes scabrous, bluish-green, margins scabrous.

basal and cauline;

sheaths open, somewhat laterally compressed;

ligules scarious;

pseudopetioles absent;

blades flat or folded at the base, lanceolate.

to 80+ cm long, usually 4-20 cm wide, open;

pedicels to 10 mm long, apices 0.1-0.4 mm wide.

terminal panicles, staminate and pistillate spikelets on the same branches, staminate spikelets proximal, pistillate spikelets distal;

disarticulation beneath the spikelets;

pedicel apices cupulate.

unisexual, laterally compressed to subterete, lemma margins not clasping the paleas, with 1 floret.

absent;

calluses glabrous.

achenes, ellipsoid or obovoid, beaked by the persistent style base;

pericarps shell-like, partially free from the seed, smooth, coriaceous or crustaceous;

seeds oblong, subterete, or 2-angled;

embryos basal;

hila linear, x = 12.

2.5-4 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, ellipsoid or obovoid, smooth, lustrous, beaked by the persistent style base.

lemmas 5-10 mm, lanceolate to elliptic, glabrous, acuminate or awned, awns to 2 mm;

paleas acuminate or awned, awns to 1 mm;

anthers 2.5-5 mm.

lemmas membranous, 5-7-veined, acuminate or terminally awned;

paleas similar to the lemmas, 3-veined;

lodicules 2;

anthers 6.

lemmas 4-8 mm, ovate or elliptic, awned, awns to 9 mm;

paleas caudate-acuminate or awned, awns to 1 mm;

style bases 1-3 mm, stigmas 2-6 mm, conspicuously exserted.

lemmas membranous, 7-veined, terminally awned;

paleas similar to the lemmas, 3-veined, awned or unawned;

styles 2, bases fused, stigmas terminally exserted, plumose.

= 24.