Mapping here is provisional. This relatively distinct northern and Appalachian taxon does occur locally in the Interior Low Plateaus and on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, especially on sterile acid moist to damp soils. However, there has been confusion with other taxa. It has been treated as a variety or subspecies (FNA 25) of D. acuminatum, including var. implicatum (Scrib. ex Nash) Gould & Clark. D. meridionale can also appear transitional from acuminatum to columbianum, but lacks the distinctive short "crisp-puberulent" hairs of the latter (Cr). R.J. LeBlond (in W ) and Thomas (2015) indicated that it may be most similar to the more southern species, D. leucothrix (Nash) Freckman; it has longer hairs on mid-stem sheaths and upper surfaces of vernal stem leaves (1.7-3.8 mm long versus 0.3-1.6 mm or lacking); the upper surface of vernal leaves is conspicuously pilose (versus glabrous to sparesely pubescent); ligules often contain short hairs <1 mm in front of longer hairs to 4 mm (versus one series of 1-5 mm hairs). Both leucothrix and meridionale differ from the more common D. lanuginsoum (= D. acuminatum var. fasciculatum) in their smaller leaf blades (3-7 cm x 3-7 mm versus 5-12 cm x 6-12 mm), and smaller spikelets (1.1-1.7 mm long versus 1.5-2 mm); also, hairs ca. 0.1 mm long are often present on sheaths, peduncles and panicle axis (versus absent).