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1 Plants dioecious; plants strongly rhizomatous- clonal; [plants of saline situations, coastal or more rarely inland]; [tribe Cynodonteae; subtribe Monanthochloinae] |
1 Plants bisexual; plants cespitose or weakly short- rhizomatous; [plants of various habitats, including saline]. |
2 Lemmas 1-3-nerved, the nerves strong and obvious; spikelets 1-27 mm long. |
3 Lemma nerves hairy; lemmas slightly to strongly 2- lobed, the midnerve shortly excurrent between the 2 lobes; [tribe Cynodonteae; subtribe Tridentinae]. |
4 Palea glabrous or with hairs < 0.5 mm long; plants perennial; inflorescences exserted, conspicuous |
4 Palea long- ciliate on the upper half, the hairs 0.5-2 mm long; plants annual; inflorescences often largely hidden in the upper sheath |
3 Lemma nerves glabrous; lemmas not at all lobed. |
5 Mature spikelets stiff; grains protruding, with a bottle- neck-like beak; [tribe Diarrheneae] |
5 Mature spikelets not stiff; grains neither protruding, nor shaped with a bottleneck-like beak. |
6 Inflorescence branches usually strongly ascendant (sometimes weakly spreading); culms often disarticulating at the first node; [tribe Arundineae] |
6 Inflorescence branches ascending, widely divergent, or nodding; culms not disarticulating at the first node; [collectively widespread, dry to wet sites] |
7 Florets 3-34 per spikelet; lemmas unawned; [tribe Eragrostideae; subtribe Eragrostidinae] |
7 Florets 2-3 per spikelet; lemmas awned or unawned; [tribe Poeae] |
2 Lemmas 5-many-nerved, the nerves often obscure; spikelets 2-70 mm long. |
8 Sheaths united for at least ½ their length. |
9 Spikelets in dense one-sided clusters on a few stiff branches; spikelets strongly flattened; [tribe Poeae] |
9 Spikelets in open or somewhat congested panicles, not as above; spikelets slightly to not at all flattened. |
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11 Callus of the lemma glabrous; [collectively widespread]; [tribe Bromeae] |
11 Callus of the lemma pubescent; [of VA, WV, KY, and northward]; [tribe Meliceae] |
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12 Lower glumes 1-veined; [plants of wetlands] |
12 Lower glumes 3-7-veined; [plants of mesic to dry habitats] |
8 Sheaths completely free or united at most up to ½ their length. |
13 Basal 1-8 florets of the spikelet sterile. |
14 Ligule membranous (the membrane apex ciliate); lower 1-4 florets sterile; disarticulation above the glumes and between the florets; [of various, usually moist, habitats, collectively widespread]; [tribe Centotheceae] |
14 Ligule of hairs; lower 2-8 florets sterile; disarticulation below the glumes (the spikelet falling whole); [of coastal dunes, from se. VA southward and westward]; [tribe Eragrostideae; subtribe Uniolinae] |
13 Lowermost florets of the spikelet fertile; [tribe Poeae]. |
15 Lemmas about as broad as long, spreading at a ca. 90° angle to the rachilla |
15 Lemmas longer than broad, ascending at an acute angle to the rachilla. |
16 Lemmas rounded at the apex, not awned. |
17 Inflorescence pedicels 0.5-3 mm thick; panicle branches stiff; lemmas coriaceous at maturity |
17 Inflorescence pedicels to 0.5 mm thick (if to 0.8 mm as in Sclerochloa dura then culms usually prostrate and leaves also exceeding inflorescence length); panicle branches flexible; lemmas hardened or membranous but not coriaceous at maturity. |
18 Inflorescences usually exceeded by the leaves (or sometimes similar in length); culms usually prostrate or procumbent (occasionally ascending); plants often compact and low-growing; mature lemmas hardened |
18 Inflorescences exceeding the leaves; culms usually erect; plants compact or not; mature lemmas membranous |
19 Lemmas obscurely (3-) 5 (-7) nerved; spikelets 2.5-13 mm long; [habitats usually saline or alkaline] |
19 Lemmas prominently 5-9-nerved; spikelets 3.6-6.5 mm long; [habitats non- saline] |
16 Lemmas acute at the apex, or awned. |
20 Callus of the lemmas hairy |
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22 Plant annual; stamen 1 |
22 Plant perennial; stamens 3. |
23 Leaf blades often involute, 0.2-3 mm wide, not auriculate at the base |
23 Leaf blades flat, 3-12 mm wide, auriculate at the base |
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24 Leaf tips blunt, cupped like the prow of a row-boat |
24 Leaf tips acuminate, planar or keeled (but not as above). |
25 Leaf blades often involute, 0.2-3 mm wide, or flat and 3-12 mm wide, not auriculate at the base |
25 Leaf blades flat, 3-12 mm wide, auriculate at the base |