Plants not or loosely cespitose, shortly rhizomatous. Culms 55–130 cm, not forming corms; internodes smooth. Sheathsglabrous or scabridulous; ligules 1–6.5 mm; blades 3.5–11 mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabridulous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous. Panicles 9–26 cm; branches 3.5–6 cm, often divergent to reflexed, straight, with 5–20 spikelets; pedicelssharply bent and hairy below the spikelets; disarticulation below the glumes. Spikelets 8–12 mm, with 2–3(4) bisexual florets, apices of the lowest 2 florets not at the same level; rachilla internodes 2.3–2.4 mm. Glumes unequal; lower glumes 5–9 mm long, 3.5–4.5 mm wide, more ovate than the upper glumes, 3–9-veined; upper glumes 6–11 mm long, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, 3–7-veined; lemmas 6.5–11.5 mm, glabrous or scabrous, somewhat indurate, with 9+ veins, veins prominent, apices rounded, unawned; paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas; anthers 1.7–3.2 mm; rudiments 2–3 mm, clublike, not resembling the bisexual florets, in a straight line with the rachilla. 2n = 18.
Melica nitens grows in dry to moist woodlands, often in rocky areas with rich soil. It grows primarily from Minnesota to Pennsylvania and southwest to Texas.