E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial, densely tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems (30) 40-90 cm tall, without visible nodes.

Leaves:
Sheaths conspicuous at the base of the stems, persisting for more than 1 year, remaining entire not shredding into fibres; blades 10-60cm long, flat or folded; ligules 0.1-0.5 mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an open panicle, 5-18 cm long, the branches 2.5-7 (13) cm long, the lower ones rigid, 2-7 cm long, erect or ascending, not borne on one side of the axis; spikelets usually pale green below and somewhat puplish abouve, (3- ) 4 to 5- (7-) flowered, 8-12 (16) mm long; lower glumes 4.5-7,5 (8.5) mm long, the upper ones 5.3-8.2 (9) mm long; lemmas (6.2) 7-8.5 (10) mm long, the margins not conspicuously translucent, long-pointed, awned, the awns 0.5-1.5 mm long; anthers (3.30 4.5-6 mm long; ovary tops hairy.

Notes:
The branches of the inflorescence tend to be stiffer in F. campestris than in F. altaica.