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Perennial, rhizomatous. Culms 60–200 cm high, 6–9-noded. Young shoots extravaginal. Leaves: basal sheaths occasionally purple; ligule entire or erose, soon becoming torn; blade 10–35 (–44) cm long, 5–17 (–25) mm wide. Panicles dense and spike-like or often somewhat loose, 5–28 (–40) cm long, lanceoloid or cylindrical to narrow and elongated, usually interrupted. Spikelets all bisexual. Glumes subequal or upper glume slightly longer, 4–6 mm long, 1-keeled, wingless or keel obscurely narrowly winged towards apex, 3-nerved, scaberulous. Sterile lemmas 2, equal (rarely unequal), (0.8–) 1–1.5 mm long, similar in texture to glumes. Bisexual florets 1 (or 2), grey-brown at maturity; lemma 3–3.8 (–4.4) mm long, chartaceous to cartilaginous, becoming glossy, with hairs towards apex; palea with silky-villous hairs around midline (between the 2 nerves) especially towards apex; anthers 2.5–3 mm long; styles fused.
Perennial, rhizomatous; rhizomes extensively spreading. Culms reedlike, erect, leafy, 0.6–1.5 m tall, 6–8-noded. Leaf sheaths glabrous, not inflated; leaf blades 10–35 cm × 10–18 mm, tapering to a fine apex; ligule 2–3 mm. Panicle contracted, linear-oblong in outline, lobed, interrupted, 8–15 cm; branches short, erect, densely spiculate. Spikelets oblong, laterally compressed, 4–6 mm; glumes narrowly lanceolate, glabrous or puberulous, pale green streaked darker green or purplish, keel scabrid, wingless or very narrowly winged upward, apex sharply acute; sterile lemmas equal, subulate, 1.5–1.8 mm, villous; fertile lemma broadly lanceolate, 3–4 mm, appressed-pubescent upward, shiny; palea boat-shaped, keels ciliolate. Anthers 2.5–3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug. 2n = 28.
Colonial by rhizomes; culms stout, 7–15 dm; main blades usually 1–2 dm × 10–15(–20) mm; panicle 7–25+ cm, dense but branched or lobed, often lightly suffused with purple; glumes 4–6.5 mm, wingless, glabrous to scaberulous; sterile lemmas linear-subulate, evidently villous, 1–2 mm; fertile lemma 3–4.5 mm, appressed-hairy distally; 2n=14, 28, 35, 42. Streambanks, lake-shores, marshes, and moist ground; circumboreal, in Amer. from Nf. to Alas., s. to N.C., Kans., and Calif., more abundant westward. Ribbon-grass, with green-and white-striped lvs, is a horticultural variant.
Rhizomatous perennial, 0.5-1.5 m high; rhizome scaly, creeping. Leaf blade 50-200 x 5-15 mm; ligule an unfringed membrane. Inflorescence a panicle, 70-180 x 10-30 mm, lower part often interrupted. Spikelet 3.5-7.5 mm long, laterally compressed; glumes ± equal, much longer than spikelet, glabrous, wingless, gradually tapering to apex, usually purple-tinged. Florets 3; lowest 2 florets reduced, sterile, 1.0-2.5 mm long, densely pubescent; uppermost floret bisexual, 2.7-4.5 x 1.0-1.3 mm, hard, sparsely pubescent. Flowering time Nov.-Apr.
Perennial from scaly creeping rhizomes.. Culms 50–150 cm. tall.. Leaf-blades up to 20 cm. long and 15 mm. wide.. Panicle 7–40 cm. long, dense, lobed or interrupted, with short branches up to 5 cm. long, these spreading at anthesis but otherwise contracted about the main axis.. Glumes 3.5–7.5 mm. long, acute, wingless or with a very narrow and inconspicuous wing on the keel; sterile florets 2, subulate, 1.2–2.3 mm. long, villous; fertile floret lanceolate, 2.7–4.5 mm. long, dull yellow to grey-brown, sparsely pubescent.. Fig. 32.
Perennial 500-1500 mm high; rhizome scaly, creeping. Leaf blade 50-200 x 5-15 mm. Inflorescence 70-180 x 10-30 mm, often interrupted in the lower part. Spikelet 3.5-7.5 mm long; glumes glabrous, pale green with dark green longitudinal stripes, usually purple tinged, wingless to narrowly winged, gradually tapering to the apex; sterile florets two, 1.0-2.5 mm long, densely pubescent; fertile floret 2.7-4.5 x 1.0-1.3 mm, sparsely pubescent.
Perennial; up to 1.5 m high; rhizomes scaly; creeping. Culms erect. Leaf blades 50-200 x 5-15 mm. Flowers: panicle compact; spike-like; 15-110 x 10-25 mm; occasionally interrupted at base; spikelets 3.5-7.5 mm long; glumes wingless to narrowly winged; gradually tapering to apex; female-fertile floret sparsely pubescent; sterile florets 2; ± equal in length; 1.0-2.5 mm long.
Perennial, rhizomatous (rhizomes scaly, creeping), up to 1.5 m high. Leaf blades 50-200 mm long, 5-15 mm wide. Spikelets 3.5-7.5 mm long. Panicle 70-160 mm long, 10-30 mm wide, often interrupted in lower part; glumes wingless, gradually tapering to tip; female-fertile floret sparsely pubescent; sterile florets 2, 1.2-2.3 mm long.
A grass.
