Plants perennial; dioecious, staminate and pistillate plants similar; stoloniferous. Culms 10-70 cm. Leaves mostly cauline; ligules membranous, ciliate. Inflorescences terminal panicles, exceeding the upper leaves; branches appressed or ascending, usually spikelet-bearing to the base. Spikelets not disarticulating. Pistillate spikelets with 5-10 florets; lower glumes 1-5-veined, only the midveins conspicuous; upper glumes with 3 conspicuous veins, sometimes with 2-4 inconspicuous lateral veins; lemmas 3-5(6)-veined, unawned; paleas shorter than the lemmas, completely surrounding the ovaries, saccate basally, narrowing distally and surrounding the styles, intercostal region coriaceous, veins keeled, scabrous and puberulent, margins scarious. Staminate spikelets with 4-21 florets; lower glumes 1-veined; upper glumes 1-3-veined; lemmas conspicuously 3-veined, unawned; paleas equaling or slightly longer than the lemmas, linear, 2-veined, veins ciliolate. Lodicules 2, cuneate. x = 10. Name from the Greek allo, different, and lepis, scale or lemma, referring to the differing lemmas of the sexes.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MG-70-19-0057-19].