This northeastern species extends south at high elevation in the Appalachians to n Ga. In Ky. it is largely restricted to acid boggy streamsides and seeps in cool sandstone ravines and in the Cumberland Mts. G. melicaria is usually distinguished from striata as folows (FNA 24, W): inflorescence compact at maturity (versus lax and diffuse), usually ca. 1-1.5 cm wide (versus 2.5-20 cm), the branches stiffly ascending to appressed (versus spreading to somewhat ascending), the tips never nodding (versus often nodding or drooping); ligule ca. 0.2-0.3 mm long (versus 1-4 mm). Also, spikelets are generally larger on average: spikelets 3.5-5 x 1-2.5 mm (versus 1.8-4 x 1.2-2.9 mm); lower glumes 1.3-2.4 mm long (versus 0.5-1.2 mm); upper glumes 1.7-3 mm long (versus 0.6-1.2 mm); lemmas 1.9-2.8 mm long (versus 1.2-2 mm); palea L/W = 2.5-4 (versus 1.5-3). It is is tetraploid: 2n = 40 (versus 20).