General:
Perennial, tufted grass from short rhizomes, clump-forming; stems grooved above the nodes, (50) 80-100 (150) cm tall.

Leaves:
Sheaths strongly keeled, usually smooth; blades flat or folded, smooth to sparsely hairy on the lower surfaces, at least near the ligules, 2-5 (6) mm wide; ligules fringed with fine hairs, short-hairy, 1-1.5 mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a panicle, the branches each ending in solitary, usually arching racemes, 3-5 cm long, the rachis more or less densely soft-hairy; spikelets on 4-5 mm long stalks, sterile, with awns 1-4 mm long, the unstalked spikelets fertile, 2-flowered, 7-9 mm long, with awns usually 10-13 mm long; paleas much reduced, more or less jagged and fringed with hairs; lodicules about 0.7 mm long; anthers about 4 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