Plants very similar in most respects to subsp. microcarpon. Fall phase freely branching from all nodes, reclining from masses of branchlets and numerous reduced, ciliate blades and secondary panicles. Cauline sheaths and blades usually glabrous, lower sheaths and blades sometimes sparsely pubescent. Spikelets 1.8-2.5 mm (rarely longer), puberulent or pubescent. Lower glumes less than 1/3 as long as the spikelets, subacute; upper glumes and lower lemmas subequal; upper florets 1.7-2 mm long, 0.7-1.0 mm wide, subobtuse. 2n = unknown.

Dichanthelium dichotomum subsp. nitidum grows in moist to wet areas, and the borders of swamps. It is primarily a coastal plain taxon, ranging from Virginia to southeastern Texas and Florida.

Dichanthelium dichotomum subsp. nitidum is very similar to both subsp. microcarpon and subsp. mattamuskeetense, and intergrades with each occasionally.

Perennial herb, tufted 30 cm - 1 m tall

Inflorescence: a terminal, branched arrangement of spikelets (panicle). Primary panicles atop the culms, dense, 5 - 12 cm long, long-exserted, wiry-branched. Secondary panicles (when present) atop the branches.

Fruit: a caryopsis, indehiscent, enclosed within the persistent lemma and palea.

Culm: upright or with knee-like bends, 30 cm - 1 m long, slender, round in cross-section, hollow. Nodes bearded with hairs pointing down. Fall phase freely branching from every node, reclining, with masses of branchlets, producing numerous reduced leaf blades and secondary panicles.

Spikelets: 2 - 2.5 mm long, ellipsoid to reverse egg-shaped, prominently veined, hairy or minutely hairy.

Basal leaves: in a rosette. Blades shortly egg-shaped to lance-shaped, distinct from stem blades.

Stem leaves: four to seven, alternate, two-ranked. Sheaths usually shorter than internodes, sometimes sparsely hairy on lowermost sheaths, occasionally white-spotted between veins, fringed with short hairs. Ligules about 0.5 mm long, composed of hairs. Blades thin, spreading to reflexed, distinctly longer and narrower than basal leaves, 5 - 14 cm long, 5 - 14 mm wide, lance-shaped, parallel-veined, sometimes sparsely hairy on lowermost blades, fringed with bumpy-based hairs basally.

Glumes:: Lower glumes less than one-third as long as spikelets, nearly pointed. Upper glumes nearly equal to lower lemmas, rounded to pointed at the apex.

Lemmas:: Lower lemmas similar to upper glumes. Upper lemmas longitudinally lined, shiny, with rolled-up margins above.

Paleas:: Lower paleas shorter than lower lemmas, thin. Upper paleas longitudinally lined.

Florets:: Lower florets sterile. Upper florets bisexual, stalkless, 1.5 - 2 mm long, to 1 mm wide, ellipsoid with a nearly blunt apex, plump. Anthers three. Stigmas red.

Similar species: No information at this time.

Flowering: June to September

Habitat and ecology: No information at this time.

Occurence in the Chicago region: native

Etymology: Dichanthelium comes from the Greek words di, meaning twice, and anth, meaning flowering, referring to plants that may have two flowering periods. Dichotomum means "forking in pairs." Nitidum means shining, in reference to the caryopsis.

Author: The Morton Arboretum