Culms 5-110 cm, prostrate (in small circular clumps) to erect. Blades
glabrous or scabrous, uppermost blades often exceeding the panicles. Panicles
(1.5)10-72 cm long, 4-22 cm wide, with 3-35 branches, usually partially enclosed
in the uppermost leaf sheaths; branches 3-12(22) cm, often spreading. Spikelets
5-12 mm. Lower glumes 2-3 mm, lanceolate, sometimes asymmetric; upper
glumes 2.5-5 mm, elliptic to ovate; lemmas lanceolate, smoky white
at maturity, often with a dark spot on the basal 1/2, apices acute, mucronate,
or awned, awns to 3.5 mm; anthers 1-3, 0.2-0.5 mm. Caryopses 0.8-2
mm.
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis extends from southern British
Columbia and Ontario to Argentina, although it has not yet been reported from
Georgia. Coastal populations from Massachusetts to Florida with long lemma awns
have been called L. fascicularis var. maritima (E.P. Bicknell)
Gleason. They do not merit taxonomic recognition because long awns and
salinity tolerance are common throughout the species.
Leptochloa fusca subsp. fascicularis differs from L.
viscida, which grows in the same region, in its longer panicles, frequently
unawned or mucronate lemmas, and whitish florets.