Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Southern Alaska to northwestern Oregon.

Habitat: Moist woods to rocky, open slopes, from near sea level to lower elevations in the mountains.

Flowers: June-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Sensitive in Washington (WANHP)

Pollination: Wind

Rhizomatous perennial, the culms 9-12 dm. tall, hollow, not clustered, erect.

Sheaths closed to about mid-length, strongly scabrous, keeled below the collar; ligules thin, from 1 mm. long on basal leaves to 3 mm. long on upper leaves, obtuse to rounded, puberulent; blades flat, 3-5 mm. broad, strongly scabrous on both surfaces, the tips abruptly prow-like.

Inflorescence a loose, open panicle 12-20 cm. long, the 2 or 3 branches at each of the distant nodes spreading to reflexed; spikelets loosely 3- to 4-flowered, the florets perfect; glumes 3-nerved, keeled, narrow, the first 3 mm. long, the second 3.5 mm. long; lemmas about 4 mm. long, 5-nerved., strongly webbed at the base and silky-pubescent on the keel and marginal nerves; palea subequal to the lemma, 2-keeled.