Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to southern California, east to the Great Plains and eastern North America.

Habitat: Dry and rocky to moist habitats, from along the coast to inland desert plains and prairies, and to the alpine.

Flowers: May-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Tufted perennial, the culms sub-glabrous to pubescent, 1-6 dm. tall.

Sheaths open; auricles less than 1 mm. long, sometimes lacking; ligules membranous, barely 0.5 mm. long; blades flat to folded or involute, 1-4 mm. broad.

Inflorescence a single terminal spike 3-15 cm. long, often partly included in the upper sheath, the rachis readily disarticulating; spikelets 1- to 6-flowered, usually 2 per node, borne flatwise on the rachis; glumes 1- or 2-nerved, simple to bifid, tapering to 1-2 divaricate awns 3-10 cm. long; florets varying from all fertile to all but one sterile; lemmas scabrous to puberulent, 5-nerved, the main nerve extending into an awn about equal to the glumes, the 2 lateral nerves often extended and bristle-like; paleas 2-nerved, the nerves often extended into bristles up to 5 mm. long.