diff --git a/lisp/dired.el b/lisp/dired.el
index 75dcd33e67..972a0865f4 100644
--- a/lisp/dired.el
+++ b/lisp/dired.el
@@ -2874,8 +2874,9 @@ dired-buffers-for-dir
   "Return a list of buffers for DIR (top level or in-situ subdir).
 If FILE is non-nil, include only those whose wildcard pattern (if any)
 matches FILE.
-If SUBDIRS is non-nil, also include the dired buffers of
-directories below DIR.
+If SUBDIRS is non-nil, include the dired buffers of DIR and the
+directories below DIR instead (but no dired buffers with in-situ
+subdir DIR).
 The list is in reverse order of buffer creation, most recent last.
 As a side effect, killed dired buffers for DIR are removed from
 `dired-buffers'."
@@ -2887,10 +2888,9 @@ dired-buffers-for-dir
        ((null (buffer-name buf))
 	;; Buffer is killed - clean up:
 	(setq dired-buffers (delq elt dired-buffers)))
-       ((dired-in-this-tree-p dir (car elt))
+       ((and (null subdirs) (dired-in-this-tree-p dir (car elt)))
 	(with-current-buffer buf
-          (when (and (or subdirs
-                         (assoc dir dired-subdir-alist))
+          (when (and (assoc dir dired-subdir-alist)
 	             (or (null file)
 		         (if (stringp dired-directory)
 		             (let ((wildcards (file-name-nondirectory
@@ -2900,7 +2900,9 @@ dired-buffers-for-dir
                                                    file)))
 		           (member (expand-file-name file dir)
 			           (cdr dired-directory)))))
-            (setq result (cons buf result)))))))
+            (setq result (cons buf result)))))
+       ((and subdirs (dired-in-this-tree-p (car elt) dir))
+        (setq result (cons buf result)))))
     result))
 
 (defun dired-glob-regexp (pattern)