Vigorously rhizomatous, 3–10 dm, becoming much branched and very leafy; internodes slightly puberulent near the top, otherwise glabrous; blades and sheaths glabrous; blades stiffish, 3–5(–8) cm × 1.5–4 mm; ligule 0.5–1.5 mm; infls numerous, terminal and axillary, dense, lobulate, cylindric, 2–5 cm × 3–5 mm, included at base or on peduncles exsert 1–4 cm; spikelets densely crowded, often subsessile; glumes slightly shorter to slightly longer than the lemma, this 2.2–3 mm, glabrous, awnless; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; 2n=40. Mostly in shade on low ground in heavy clay; irregularly from Va. and N.C. to Io., Mo., Ala., and Tex.; rare.