Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Meadows and prairies around riverbeds and seasonal lakes, often in saline habitats, and along roadsides and other disturbed sites.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Tufted perennial, the culms 2-5 dm. tall, glabrous to densely soft-pubescent.

Sheaths open; auricles present on some leaves, barely 0.5 mm. long; ligules 0.2-0.6 mm. long; blades 2-4 mm. broad.

Inflorescence a terminal spike 5-10 cm. long, and at maturity almost as thick; spikelets 3 per node, 1-flowered, the central spikelet sessile, its lemma with an awn nearly as long as the glumes, ultimately divaricate; lateral spikelets with a curved pedicle 1-1.5 mm. long, the floret from rudimentary to nearly as large as the central floret; glumes awn-like, 2-6 cm. long.