Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Cespitose perennials 45–240 cm tall.

Stems: Culms unbranched, glabrous or appressed pubescent to papillose-pilose, the nodes glabrous or villous.

Roots: Roots fibrous.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, cauline. Blades 10-40 cm long, (0.8-)1.1-2.5 cm wide, flat, glabrous or sparsely papillose-pilose to velvety short-pubescent. Veins parallel. Sheaths densely puberulent to papillose-pilose with hairs up to 11 mm long; ligule a ciliate membrane, 1.1-4.9 mm long, the membrane 0.3-1.5 mm long, the cilia 1-3.5 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Panicles 15-60 cm long, terminal, the lower branches usually whorled, scabrid, widely spreading at maturity, the axils usually pubescent; spikelets 1.8-3.4 mm long, acuminate, glabrous; glumes as long as spikelet, equal or second glume slightly shorter than first one, first glume 5-7-nerved, acuminate to acute, second glume 7-nerved, acute. First floret sterile, first lemma as long as or slightly shorter than glumes, 7-9-nerved, first palea 1/3-1/2 as long as lemma; second floret 1.5-2 mm long 0.6-0.8 mm wide, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, glossy, smooth. Anthers 0.9-1.5 mm long, purple.

Fruit: Fruit a caryopsis

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occasional in openings and along trails; in dry to mesic forest and open secondary growth.

Elevation Range: 400–1,100 m.