Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east to the Great Plains and Great Lakes region.

Habitat: Plains and prairies to forested areas in the mountains.

Flowers: May-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Tufted perennial, the culms up to 7 dm. tall, puberulent to glabrous.

Sheaths open; ligules membranous, 3-5 mm. long, rounded to acute, split or lacerate; blades 1-2 mm. broad, involute.

Inflorescence a contracted panicle 7-20 cm. long; spikelets 1-flowered; glumes membranous, narrow, tapered to very slender tips, 15-25 mm. long, 5-nerved; floret pale green to yellow; lemmas 8-12 mm. long, convolute, sparsely pubescent, the callus 3-4 mm. long, prolonged into an awn up to 15 cm. long, slender, twisted, and bent more than once; palea shorter than the lemma and enclosed by it; stamens 3.