| 1. | Spikelets always paired on each rachis internode | L. geminatus (NT QLD) |
| Spikelets solitary on each rachis internode | 2 | |
| 2. | Joints 4.5-5 mm long; glumes acutely pointed |
L. repens (NT WA QLD) L. repens subsp. stoddartii |
| Joints less than 3.5 mm long; glumes awned | 3 | |
| 3. | Spikes mainly among foliage, stiff | L. copeanus (QLD NT) |
| Spikes projected above foliage, flexuous | 4 | |
| 4. | Spikelet more than 1mm wide; semi-erect grass with leaf blades to 5 cm long | L. xerophilus (WA QLD) |
| Spikelet less than 1mm wide; decumbent grass with leaf blades less than 1 cm long | L. minutus (QLD) |
Key to Lepturus derived from Hubbard 1934; Fosberg 1988; Nightingale et al 2005
Taxonomic name: