Grass Description
Rocky slopes and ledges, forest openings, mostly in dry soil.
General Description
Large clump with a hard, knotty base. Tall often over 3 feet; large contracted seedhead. Ligules long thin, often frayed.
Tufted, 2 to 4 feet tall perennial, erect stems in large clumps; seedheads loose, branches naked at the base; blades more than 3 inches long; sheaths without hairs. M. rigens has contracted seedhheads and M. longiligula hairy florets.
Flower Characteristics
Seedhead usually dense and contracted, erect or nodding, branches rather long but never wide-spreading, naked towards the base. Glumes awnless, lemmas hairy at the base and usually with an awn of less than 1/16 inch.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blades 1/16 to 1/4 inch wide, 8 to 20 inches long, flat or folded, roughened with stout projections below, smooth or slightly rough above.
Poor due to coarseness.