General:
Perennial, loosely to densely tufted grass from fibrous roots and short rhizomes or with isolated shoots; stems 35-80 cm tall.

Leaves:
Sheaths round, margins open 1/4-2/3 their length, those of at least some lowermost leaves densely rough or hairy, the projections or hairs pointing downwards; collars of lowermost leaves hairless or with hairs of the same length and kind as on sheaths; blades of sterile shoots folded or in-rolled, infrequently flat, inner surface usually distinctly rough to minutely soft-hairy on and between nerves, of stem leaves 2-3.5 mm wide (the uppermost at least 1/4 as long as its sheath), flat or folded, inner surface indistinctly rough; ligules 0.5-2 mm long, thickened, the tips pointed to blunt, those of the lowermost leaves with the backs distinctly rough or minutely soft-hairy.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an erect or nodding panicle, 5-12 (18) cm long, egg-shaped to pyramidal, loosely contracted to open, lowermost internodes mostly less than 3.5 cm long, the branches 2 to 5 per node, ascending to spreading or reflexed, slightly to moderately rough; spikelets laterally compressed, 5.5-10 mm long, 2- to 7-flowered; glumes 1/4-2/3 (3/4) as long as the adjacent lemmas, the lower 1- to 3-nerved; rachillas smooth or rough, hairless or sparsely short straight-hairy; lemmas lanceolate, 3-6 mm long, the tips sharp-pointed, the surface hairless or rough, the keels and marginal nerves hairless or sparsely short silky-hairy, hairless or short straight-hairy or infrequently minutely soft-hairy between the nerves, lateral nerves obscure or moderately prominent; calluses hairless; palea keels rough; flowers female (rarely bisexual); anthers usually non-functional or aborted late in development and up to 2 mm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Poa nervosa var. wheeleri (Vasey) C.L. Hitchc.