Two-flowered melic is found primarily in open areas in woods, and is distributed throughout the eastern United States, although it is not usually abundant. This species is not currently confirmed from Iowa, although Eilers and Roosa (1994) reported it from Union Co. based on a single collection. Two-flowered melic is similar in many respects to three-flowered melic (Melica nitens), but it differs in having the tips of the lowermost two florets of the spikelet at the same level and the club-like tip of the spikelet usually bent at an angle to its stalk.

Etymology: Melica from the latin mel = honey, a classical name for some plant, possibly a species of sorghum with sweet sap; mutica from the Latin muticus = without a point, awnless, or blunt.