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1 Glumes and sterile lemmas not keeled along midvein; apices of fertile lemmas glabrous; panicle < 1 cm wide, 3-12 cm long; leaf blades 4-19 cm long, 1-4 mm wide, involute at maturity; culms wiry |
1 Glumes and sterile lemmas keeled along midvein; apices of fertile lemmas with a minute tuft of stiff hairs; panicles < 1 to > 20 cm wide, 9-40 cm long; leaf blades 8-50 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, flat (sometimes drying involute); culms wiry to stout. |
2 Plants with rhizomes; fertile lemma 1.6-4.0 mm long. |
3 Rhizomes short and stout, usually < 4 cm long, > 4 mm wide and ascending; spikelets (2.5-) 2.7-3.9 mm long, acuminate, often falcate distally; first glume with 3-5 prominent nerves; leaves to 50 cm long and 18 mm wide |
3 Rhizomes long and slender, usually > 3 cm long, < 5 mm wide and spreading; spikelets 2.2-2.8 mm long, acute to short- acuminate, not noticeably falcate distally; first glume with 1-3 prominent nerves; leaves to 30 (-40) cm long and 10 mm wide |
2 Plants with hard crowns, cespitose, lacking rhizomes; fertile lemma 1.2-2.0 mm long. |
4 Sheath summit truncate to broadly auriculate, much wider than base of blade; ligule membranous, to 0.3 mm long; blades to 2.5 mm wide; [ endemic to c. and s. FL] |
4 Sheath summit not truncate or broadly auriculate, about as wide as base of blade; ligule membranous or ciliate (if membranous, then 0.3-3 mm long); blades 2-12 mm wide; [collectively widespread]. |
5 Ligule of white hairs 0.5-3 mm long; culms to 1 m long; cauline blades 2-8 mm wide, usually pilose adaxially near the base; spikelets 2.0-4.0 mm long; upper leaves usually shorter than the panicle. |
6 Ligules 0.5-1.5 mm long; spikelets 2.4-4.0 mm long, 3.5-5× as long as wide, erect on pedicels; first glume 1.3-2.9 mm long, > ½-¾ as long as the spikelet |
6 Ligules 1-3 mm long; spikelets 2.4-4.0 mm long, 2.5-4 × as long as wide, often obliquely set on pedicels; first glume 0.9-1.4 mm long, about 2/5-1/2 as long as the spikelet |
5 Ligule a tawny membrane 0.5-1.0 mm long, often erose or lacerate, or with a minute ciliate fringe; culms to 1.8 m long; cauline blades 4-12 mm wide, usually glabrous; spikelets 1.6-2.8 mm long; upper leaves usually equaling or exceeding the panicle. |
7 Spikelets 2.4-2.8 mm long, long- acuminate, usually < 0.7 mm wide; fertile lemma often conspicuously stipitate |
7 Spikelets 1.6-2.5 mm long, short- acuminate, usually > 0.7 mm wide; fertile lemma estipitate to short stipitate. |
8 Culms to 1.8 m long; mature panicle < 1/3 as wide as long, the branches erect; spikelets 2.0-2.5 mm long |
8 Culms to 1 m long; mature panicle ½ to nearly as wide as long, the branches ascending to spreading; spikelets 1.6-2.2 mm long |