Tridens albescens
Plants cespitose, often with hard, knotty, shortly rhizomatous bases. Culms 30-100 cm; lower nodes sometimes sparsely bearded. Sheaths glabrous, not or obscurely keeled; ligules to 0.5 mm, membranous, ciliate; blades 1-4 mm wide, folded or involute, glabrous, apices sharp. Panicles 8-25 cm long, 0.5-1.3 cm wide, dense; branches appressed, lowest branches 2-6 cm; pedicels 1-2 mm. Spikelets 4-10 mm, with 4-11 florets. Glumes about as long as the adjacent lemmas, thin, 1-veined, acute or apiculate; lower glumes 4-4.5 mm; upper glumes 4-4.5 mm; lemmas 3-4 (5) mm, thin, papery, mostly white, often purple distally, glabrous or the lateral-veins with a few short hairs towards the base, all veins ending before the distal margin; paleas 3-3.5 mm, glabrous, bowed-out at the base; anthers 1-1.5 mm. Caryopses 1.5-1.8 mm. 2n = 60, 64, 72.
Distribution
Kans., Okla., N.Mex., Tex., La., Tenn., Ariz.
Discussion
Tridens albescens grows in plains and open woods, often in clay soils that periodically receive an abundance of water. Its range extends into northern Mexico.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
"decumbent" is not a number.