Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest along the coast in Washington; southern Alaska to California.

Habitat: Sand dunes along the marine coast.

Flowers: April-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Strongly rhizomatous, dioecious perennial, the culms hollow, glabrous, 2-4 dm. tall.

Sheaths glabrous, open most of their length, but closed as least for the lower 2-3 cm.; ligules 1-1.5 mm. long, thick, strongly pubescent, truncate, highest on the sides; blades stiff and involute, in dense basal tufts, up to 3 mm. broad, 5-12 cm. long, the tips only slightly prow-like.

Inflorescence a compact panicle 4-12 cm. long, the branches short, stiff and ascending; spikelets 4- to 6-flowered, occasionally bulbiferous; glumes subequal, about 9 mm. long, 5-nerved, keeled; lemmas about 9 mm. long, 7- to 11-nerved, pubescent on the keel and marginal nerves, the rachilla also pubescent with soft, straight hairs; staminate flowers with anthers 3.5 mm. long, pistillate flowers with vestigial stamens.