It is found primarily in the contiguous United States with specimens also reported in British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, as well as south of the Rio Grande in northern Mexico.

[2][3] D. oligosanthes is most frequently in partially shaded glens within woods, recently cut forests, and grassy banks.

Despite being a member of the grass subfamily Panicoideae which includes many species which utilize C4 photosynthesis, D. oligosanthes retains the more ancestral trait, using a C3 photosynthetic pathway.

[5] The genome of Dichanthelium oligosanthes is carried on nine chromosomes and is estimated to be between 750 and 950 megabases in size.

[6] A draft genome assembly was generated from the progeny of a single self-pollinated plant collected from the Shaw Nature Reserve near Gray Summit, Missouri.