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Key to Eragrostis
https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/main.php?pg=show-key.php&keyid=39767
1 Plants cespitose or rhizomatous perennials, with innovations near the base, and with or without buds in the basal sheaths. | |
3 Plants without short or thick rhizomes; florets usually disarticulating. | |
5 Caryopsis dorsoventrally compressed, flattened parallel to the side of the embryo, translucent, light brownish | |
5 Caryopsis laterally compressed, flattened on the side perpendicular to the embryo, or cylindric, opaque (rarely translucent), usually reddish brown. | |
15 Spikelets with widely spreading pedicels, the lower pedicels all generally longer than the spikelets; disarticulation of the lemmas only, the paleas persistent | |
17 Panicles 15-30 cm long, open or contracted; leaf blades (8-) 12-50 cm long, 2-6 mm wide; [SC s. to FL and w. to LA]. | |
1 Plants cespitose, geniculate or mat-forming annuals, lacking innovations or buds in the lower sheaths. | |
21 Panicles contracted, narrow, spike-like, usually < 1.5 cm wide; spikelets densely packed; [uncommon to common non-native SC s. to s. FL, w. to s. TX in our area] | |
21 Panicles less appressed, somewhat spreading; 1.5-5.0 cm wide; spikelets widely separated; [uncommon non-native in s. FL] | |
22 Spikelets 5-12 (-18) mm long, 1.4-2.4 mm wide, 12-42-flowered; lemmas (1.3-) 1.5-2.0 mm long, chartaceous, the apex acute | |
22 Spikelets (1.0-) 1.5-3.5 mm long, 0.9-1.4 mm wide, 4-12-flowered; lemmas 0.7-1.1 mm long, membranous, the apex truncate to obtuse | |
19 Paleas smooth to scaberulous on the keels, the hairs (if present) <0.1 mm long. | |
23 Plants extensively stoloniferous, creeping and forming flat mats; inflorescences 1-3.5 cm long; culms (2-) 5-12 (-20) cm tall on the erect portions. | |
23 Plants not stoloniferous (sometimes creeping and forming flat mats); inflorescences 3-55 cm long; culms (2-) 6-130 cm tall. | |
25 Ligules ciliate, with a row of tiny white hairs. | |
33 Spikelets 6-20 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, 10-40-flowered; lemmas 2-2.8 mm long, with 1-3 crateriform glands along the keel; disarticulation of the entire florets from the persistent rachilla; anthers yellow | |
33 Spikelets 4-7 (-11) mm long, 1.1-2.2 mm wide, 7-12 (-20)-flowered; lemmas 1.4-1.8 mm long, rarely with 1-2 crateriform glands along the keel; disarticulation of the lemmas only, the palea and rachilla usually persistent; anthers reddish-brown. | |
34 Inflorescence with glandular areas of spots or rings on the rachis below the panicle branch bases, the glands often shiny or yellowish; stamens 3; blade margins lacking crateriform glands | |
34 Inflorescence sometimes with glandular areas of spots or crateriform pits on the rachis below the panicle branch bases, the glands usually dull and greenish-gray to straw-colored; stamens 2; blade margins sometimes with crateriform glands | |
35 Spikelets (1.6-) 2-4 mm wide, 12-42-flowered; disarticulation of entire florets from a persistent rachilla | |
35 Spikelets 0.6-2.5 mm wide, 3-22-flowered; disarticulation of the lemmas only, the paleas usually persistent (or deciduous), the rachilla persistent. | |
37 Lemmas with conspicuous lateral veins, these usually greenish; grains 0.3-0.6 mm long, ovoid, subglobose, or obovoid. | |
38 Spikelets 5-12 (-18) mm long, with 12-42 florets; primary branches 6-10 per culm; lemmas 1.3-2.0 mm long; anthers 3 | |
38 Spikelets 2-4.6 mm long, with 5-15 florets; primary branches (12-) 15-20 per culm; lemmas 1.0-1.3 mm long; anthers 2 | |
41 Pedicels appressed or rarely diverging up to 20 degrees from the branches |