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

Habitat: Grasslands and sagebrush desert to dry mountain slopes, occasionally to the subalpine.

Flowers: May-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Strongly tufted perennial, usually glabrous, the hollow culms 4-10 dm. tall.

Sheaths open, usually glabrous; ligules 0.3-0.6 mm. long, highest on the sides; blades mostly basal, filiform, folded-involute, up to 10 cm. long.

Inflorescence a narrow panicle 7-15 cm. long, the branches erect to ascending; spikelets 5- to 7-flowered; first glume narrowly lanceolate, about 3.5 mm. long, 1-nerved; second glume oblong-lanceolate, about 5 mm. long, 3-nerved; lemmas rounded, about 6.5 mm. long, with a stout awn 2-5 mm. long; palea equal to the lemma.