Plants annual; tufted. Culms to 60 cm, often prostrate and branching at the base, glabrous; internodes solid. Sheaths open or closed, rounded on the back, frequently hispid; auricles absent; ligules membranous, usually lacerate and minutely ciliate; blades flat, mostly ascending, abaxial and/or adaxial surfaces glabrous or hispid. Inflorescences panicles, loosely contracted; branches spikelet-bearing to the base or nearly so, some branches longer than 1 cm; disarticulation below the glumes. Spikelets pedicellate, subterete, with 1 floret; rachillas prolonged beyond the base of the floret as a slender bristle, glabrous. Glumes equal, rigid, coriaceous, hispid or scabrous throughout, rounded over the midvein, veinless or obscurely 3-5-veined, acute, unawned; calluses blunt, glabrous; lemmas equaling the glumes, chartaceous, smooth, veinless or inconspicuously 3-veined, minutely bifid or acute, awned, awns subterminal, exceeding the florets, geniculate near midlength, basal segment twisted; paleas shorter than the lemmas, veinless or the base 2-veined, hyaline; lodicules 2, glabrous, toothed or not; anthers 3; ovaries glabrous. Caryopses about 2.5 mm, shorter than the lemmas, concealed at maturity, linear, x = 7.
Distribution
Okla., Tex., La., Ala., Ark., Miss., S.C., Fla.
Discussion
Limnodea is a monotypic genus of the southern United States and adjacent Mexico.