Culms clustered, erect or ascending, often somewhat geniculate, 3-7 dm, glabrous to puberulent, sparsely to usually densely retrorse-bearded at the nodes; sheaths ciliate, pubescent at the top, glabrous to softly villous on the back; blades lanceolate, spreading, ciliate toward the cordate base, glabrous to soft-hairy on both sides, the larger ones 6-12 cm נ15-30 mm, the lateral veins differentiated into 2 types as in no. 39 [Panicum clandestinum L.]; primary panicle usually sessile or partly included, or eventually exsert, 5-10 cm, ovoid with a few ascending or spreading branches, relatively few-fld; spikelets oblong-obovoid, sparsely hairy, usually papillose, 3.8-5.2 mm; first glume narrowly obovoid, acute, ca half as long; second glume slightly shorter than the sterile lemma; autumnal phase sparsely branched from the middle nodes, the blades half as large, the panicles much reduced, partly included; 2n=18, 36. Woods; Mass. to Ill. and Mo., s. to Fla. and Tex. (Dichanthelium b.)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
