Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the northern Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains.

Habitat: Dry to occasionally moist prairies, foothills, and open parks and ridges in mountain forests.

Flowers: June-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Tufted perennial, the culms hollow, 1-3 dm. tall, the plants usually strongly hairy throughout.

Sheaths open, the hairs at the throat 3-4 mm. long; ligule 0.5-1 mm. long; blades usually involute, 1-3 mm. broad.

Panicle usually reduced to a single spikelet, sometimes with 2 or 3; glumes 5-nerved, the first 15-23 mm. long, the second slightly shorter; lemmas 9-12 mm. long, glabrous on the back and bearded on the margins, bifid, the teeth 1-2 mm. long; awn attached just below the lobes of the lemma 7-8 mm. long; paleas broad, shorter than the lemmas; callus slightly bearded.