Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, and eastern North America.

Habitat: Moist woods and meadows, sea level to subalpine.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Rhizomatous perennial, the culms 7-20 dm. tall, hollow.

Sheaths open, usually glabrous; ligules 3-8 mm. long, pubescent, lacerate; blades flat, 7-15 mm. broad, the veins very unequal in size.

Inflorescence a large, loose panicle 15-30 cm. long, the branches spreading or drooping; spikelets 1-flowered, flattened, articulate below the glumes; glumes slender, acuminate, 3-4 mm. long, the second slightly the longer; lemmas strongly compressed, 2-3.2 mm. long, puberulent on the back, awnless, or with a subterminal awn under 1 mm. long; pales subequal to the lemma, the rachilla prolonged bristle-like behind the palea about 0.6 mm.