9b. var. muhlenbergii (Nash) D.J. Banks
P. ciliatifolium var. muhlenbergii (Nash) Fernald
Leaf blades 3–10 mm wide, moderately to densely and evenly
pubescent with hairs of only 1 length, the hairs relatively long and without
additional minute hairs. Spikelets (1.6)1.8–2.5 mm long, 1.5–2.4 mm wide,
nearly as wide as long, glabrous or nearly so. Sterile floret with the lemma
(2)3‑nerved, the midnerve usually present. May–October.
Scattered to common nearly throughout the state (eastern U.S. west to Wisconsin and Texas). Upland prairies, sand prairies, savannas, mesic to dry upland
forests, margins of sinkhole ponds, and banks of streams and rivers; also
pastures, old fields, fallow fields, roadsides, railroads, ditches, and open,
disturbed areas.
This is the most common variant in Missouri. It grades into
var. ciliatifolium, and some specimens can be very difficult to place.