General:
Annual, loosely tufted grass from fibrous roots; stems sometimes solitary, erect (sometimes bent or angled at the lower nodes), (5) 15-35 (40) cm tall.

Leaves:
Sheaths smooth or short-hairy; blades in-rolled or sometimes flat, smooth or short-hairy, to 1 mm wide; ligules 0.2-0.5 (1) mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an open panicle (sometimes reduced to a raceme), the lower branches (and spikelet stalks) spreading or directed backward, (3) 5-11 (14) cm long, the base with callus-like swellings in the axils at maturity; spikelets 4-9 mm long (excluding awns), (1-) 2- to 6- (7-) flowered, the florets loosely overlapping; glumes smooth or short-hairy, the lower glumes 1-nerved, (1.7) 3-6 mm long, the upper glumes 3-nerved, (3.5) 5-8 mm long; lemmas smooth or short-hairy, lanceolate, (3.5) 4.5-7.5 (8) mm long, the terminal awns (3) 6-13 (20) mm long; rachilla internodes about 1 mm long; anthers 1 (rarely 2 or 3), 0.3-3 (3.5) mm long.

Notes:
Several dubious varieties are sometimes recognized based on the presence and distribution of hairs.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia