1 | Leaves sinuately pinnatilobed; stem winged; calyx-limb conspicuous, brightly coloured |
1' | Leaves simple, entire; stem not winged; calyx-limb membranous, pallid |
2 | Some of the inflorescence-branches sterile or without flowers; leaves narrow-spathulate |
2' | All the inflorescence-branches bearing flowers |
3 | Plants annual, with a slender taproot; inner bracteoles tuberculate, involute, closely enveloping the flower |
3' | Plants perennial, with a tough scaly rootstock; inner bracteoles not conspicuously tuberculate or involute |
4 | Calyx-nerves produced far beyond the limb into spreading, uncinate-circinnate awns; calyx-limb divided almost to base into narrow lobes; calyx-tube generally glabrous |
4' | Calyx-nerves stopping at apex of limb, or shortly excurrent; calyx-limb subtruncate or divided into broadly ovate lobes; calyx-tube pubescent at least towards base |
5 | Inflorescence repeatedly branched, large, diffuse, many-flowered |
5' | Inflorescence sparingly branched, not large or diffuse |
6 | Leaves distinctly nerved, 8-30 cm long, apex rounded, obtuse or emarginate |
6' | Leaves nerveless or indistinctly nerved, 2-10 cm long, apex acute, terminating in a short, brownish awn |
7 | Leaves subsessile, forming tight, crowded rosettes; inflorescence very slender, (2-)5-10 cm high |
7' | Leaves tapering gradually to a petiole, forming loose, irregular rosettes; inflorescence 12-40 cm high |
8 | Leaves acute to obtuse, shortly mucronate; spikelets 8.5-10 mm long; inner bract 7.2-7.9 mm long |
8' | Leaves emarginated to obtuse; spikelets 7,0-8.5 mm long; inner bract 5.8-6.8 mm long |
9 | Leaves cuneate-spathulate, apice emarginated; calyx 5.0-5.8 mm long; calyx tube densely long hairy |
9' | Leaves narrowly spathulate, apice rounded to obtuse, sometimes slightly emarginated; calyx 5.8-6.6 mm long, normally glabrous |