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

Habitat: Dry, mesic or wet meadows, peatlands, rocky slopes, and talus, from the lowlands to alpine.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Strongly tufted perennial, the culms hollow, glabrous, 0.5-4 dm. tall.

Sheaths open, usually glabrous, but with hairs 1-2 mm. long on the throat and collar; ligule only 0.3-0.5 mm. long; blades involute to flat, 1-3 mm. broad, somewhat curled.

Inflorescence a raceme-like panicle 3-6 cm. long, often one-sided, the short, erect branches usually bearing only one spikelet; spikelets several-flowered; glumes subequal, 13-17 mm. long; lemmas 7-10 mm. long, glabrous on the back but hairy on the margins, bifid, the teeth acuminate, 1-2 mm. long; awn attached just below the lobes of the lemma, up to 10 mm. long; callus strongly bearded; paleas broad, shorter than the lemmas.

Utricle