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Key to Poaceae, Key B: robust herbaceous grasses
Poaceae
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1 Inflorescence otherwise, either the spikelets embedded or in grooves in an thickened rachis, or the inflorescence a slender or broad panicle.
2 Spikelets embedded in the thickened rachis (the inflorescence thus like an ear of corn), or fitting into grooves in the thickened rachis (the inflorescence thus cylindrical and resembling a rat's tail). Spikelets unisexual, with male and female spikelets in separate inflorescences or in different parts of the same inflorescence; [tribe Andropogoneae].
2 Spikelets not embedded or fitting into grooves in the rachis, the inflorescence a slender or broad panicle (the spikelets visibly separate and often pedicelled).
5 Pistillate and staminate spikelets intermingled on the same branches of the inflorescence; lemma margins free; plants perennial
4 Spikelets with 2 or more florets, at least some of these bisexual; plants without aerenchymatous culms, [plants of uplands or temporarily to seasonally flooded wetlands].
7 Leaves cauline; plants short to long rhizomatous, usually somewhat clumped (short rhizomatous to cespitose in Neyraudia).
9 Lemmas 3-7 veined, the apices not bifid (instead either unawned, entire, or only minutely awned); plants rhizomatous; [tribe Arundineae]
10 Lemmas pilose; rachilla glabrous; plants short-rhizomatous (somewhat clumped); culms to 10 m tall; [plants of uplands or saturated or temporarily flooded wetlands]
10 Lemmas glabrous; rachilla sericeous; plants long rhizomatous; culms to 4 m tall; [plants of uplands or saturated, tidally flooded, or seasonally flooded wetlands]
15 Pedicelled spikelet differing from the sessile in shape and sex (sometimes represented only by a pedicel).
Key to Poaceae, Key D: rattail or cob grasses
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1 All spikelets unisexual, the pistillate and staminate spikelets either in separate inflorescences, or the pistillate spikelets below the staminate spikelets in the same inflorescence; leaves 9-120 mm wide; [tribe Andropogoneae].
2 Pistillate and staminate spikelets in separate inflorescences, the pistillate inflorescences axillary, staminate inflorescences terminal
4 Culms 2-45 cm tall; leaves 1-6 mm wide; plants annual (perennial in Eremochloa and Stenotaphrum).
5 Plants obviously and prominently rhizomatous (Eremochloa) or stoloniferous (Stenotaphrum); lower glume with pectinate margins (Eremochloa) or irregularly toothed (Stenotaphrum)
6 Plant rhizomatous; lower glume with pectinate margins; [commonly naturalized turf grass and roadside weed]; [tribe Andropogoneae]
6 Plant stoloniferous; lower glume irregularly toothed; [naturalized turf grass and allegedly also native]; [tribe Paniceae]
5 Plants annual; lower glume with smooth and cartilaginous margins (or absent); [rare waifs]; [tribe Poeae].
4 Culms 30-400 cm tall; leaves 2-25 mm wide; plants annual or perennial; [tribe Andropogoneae].
Key to Poaceae, Key E: grasses of tribe Andropogoneae (also including grasses also keyed in Keys B, C, and D)
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1 Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 2-10 cm long, 2.5-7× as long as wide; plants weak-stemmed annuals, branching, decumbent, rooting at the lower nodes; [exotic weeds].
1 Leaves lanceolate to linear, either longer or proportionately narrower; plants either perennial or coarse annuals with erect and mostly unbranched culms.
3 Spikelets embedded in the thickened rachis (the inflorescence thus like an ear of corn), or fitting into grooves in the thickened rachis (the inflorescence thus cylindrical and resembling a rat's tail), or the pistillate inflorescences enclosed in a hard, bead-like, pearly-white, modified bract.
4 Spikelets unisexual, with male and female spikelets in separate inflorescences or in different parts of the same inflorescence.
6 Racemes of single sex, the female inflorescences (“ears”) borne on axillary branches, the male inflorescences (“tassels”) terminal on the culm
7 Culms 2-45 cm tall; leaves 1-5 mm wide; plants perennial, obviously and prominently rhizomatous; lower glume with pectinate margins; [commonly naturalized turf grass and roadside weed]
3 Spikelets not embedded or fitting into grooves in the rachis, the rachis slender (the spikelets visibly separate and often pedicelled).
11 Pedicelled spikelet differing from the sessile in shape and sex (sometimes represented only by a pedicel).
19 Inflorescence a false panicle with numerous inflorescence units; peduncles with 2 rames in digitate clusters (1 almost sessile, the other rame stalked and both bearing 7-14 heterogamous spikelet pairs), disarticulation in the rames beneath the bisexual spikelets; spikelets a mix of heterogamous and homogamous pairs; awns of the lemma 1-3.5 cm long; [non-natives]
19 Inflorescences true panicles (with evident rachises); disarticulation beneath the sessile spikelets (or not occurring at all); spikelets only heterogamous; awns of the lemma (5-) 10-40 mm long (when present); [native and non-natives].
20 Pedicelled spikelet represented by pedicel only; apex of sheath bearing 2 auricles 1-10 mm long; awns of the lemmas once or twice-geniculate; [native]
20 Pedicelled spikelet present, staminate; apex of sheath truncate; lemmas unawned or awned and once geniculate; [non-native]
22 Pedicels of the pedicelled (reduced or absent) spikelets terete or slightly flattened and grooved on one side only.
22 Pedicels of the pedicelled (reduced or absent) spikelets strongly flattened and with or without grooves on both sides.
24 Rame internodes and pedicels with a translucent medial groove; pedicelled spikelets smaller than the sessile spikelets (or vestigial/absent)
24 Rame internodes and pedicels without a translucent medial groove; pedicelled spikelets ca. the same size as sessile spikelets