See notes under villosissimum. Plants matching the description of praecocius have been reported from Ky. (M), but colls. have been generally difficult to distinguish from villosissimum or lanuginosum. Thomas (2015) maintained that praecocius is a distinct midwestern species, largely restricted to remnants of original grassland. It reportedly differs from lanuginosum and implicatum as follows: spikelets 1.8-2.1 mm long (versus 1.3-1.8 mm); first glume 0.7-1.0 mm long (versus 0.3-0.7 mm); longest hairs of the mid-stem vernal sheaths mostly 2.7-4.5 mm long (versus 2-4 mm); often 10 or less nodes along the central axis of the inflorescence (versus usually 12 or more); ligule a mixture of long and short hairs with shorter hairs more abundant in center, creating a U-shaped ligule (versus hairs with more uniform length); leaves often ascending (versus spreading).