| Author | Nuttall | |
| Distribution | Across the state, including the northern Outer Banks. Doubtless occurs in all 100 counties.
NJ, KY, and AR, south to northwestern FL and LA. | |
| Abundance | Common, locally abundant; slightly less numerous in some far eastern counties. | |
| Habitat | Dry to xeric or mesic upland woodlands (pine-hardwood, pine-oak sandhills, hardwood), forest openings, roadsides, powerlines, old fields, rock outcrops, bluffs. Some populations (at least in the Sandhills) inhabit moist soils of streamhead ecotones. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting May-July. | |
| Identification | The relatively short leaves are mostly at ground level in a tuft and are hairy. Stems grow 2-4.5 feet, with a terminal inflorescence and spikelets with conspicuous awns. Lemmas are strongly pilose on the margins and usually also on the backs. This is a very handsome grass. See D. epilis for ID criteria. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | See also D. epilis, which is lumped here by some authors (e.g., FNA). Where authors include that taxon as a variety, by default this taxon becomes D. sericea var. sericea.
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| Other Common Name(s) | Downy Oatgrass | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5? | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
