| 1. | Leaves mostly basal | 2 |
| Leaves produced uniformly up culm | 4 | |
| 2. | Inflorescence spikes usually more than 9 in number, spreading in more than one plane |
E. acicularis (NSW VIC NT SA WA QLD) Chloris acicularis, C. moorei |
| Inflorescence spikes up to 4 in number, usually arranged in one plane |
3 | |
| 3. | Spikes 1(-3); leaves filiform or if flat then up to 1mm wide |
E. unispiceus (QLD) Chloris unispiceus |
| Spikes 3-4; leaves flat, more than 1.5mm wide | E. paucispiceus (QLD) Chloris unispiceus var. paucispiceus |
|
| 4. | Lemma of fertile floret more than 5mm long; spikelets loosely overlapping |
E. ramosus (NSW VIC NT SA WA QLD) Chloris acicularis var. queenslandiae, E. acicularis form A |
| Lemma of fertile floret up to 5mm long; spikelets tightly overlapping |
5 | |
| 5. | Lemma of fertile floret 3-3.5mm long; spikes flaccid | E. minutus (NT QLD) |
| Lemma of fertile floret 3.5-5mm long; spikes stiff | E. dolichostachyus (NT WA QLD) |
Key to Enteropogon derived from Lazarides 1972; Simon 1984a; Nightingale et al 2005
Taxonomic name: