This is a widespread species to the north and west of Ky., and it is occasionally adventive in northeastern states. It is known from s. Ill. and se. Mo. within 50 miles of Ky. (K; SERNEC 2024). It was mapped in Ky. by Hitchcock (1935) but not Hitchcock & Chase (1950) or FNA 25. A vegetative coll. from a cliff near a railroad in LEE (JC for KY) has been tentatively identified as racemosa. M. racemosa (plus its close northern relative, M. glomerata (Willd.) Trin.) differ from other species of subgenus Muhlenbergia as follows (FNA 25, W): glumes 3-8 mm long excluding awn (versus 1.2-3 mm), 1.3-2x the length of lemma (versus shorter to barely exceeding); panicle dense and spike-like (versus generally less dense and not spike-like), 0.8-16 cm long and 0.3-10 mm broad (versus 4-50 cm x 2-15 mm).