Montana Field Guide

Rhizomatous, sometimes bunched. Stems often glaucous, 35–80 cm. Leaves: blades 2–4 mm wide, often stiff and inrolled; sheaths and collar often hairy. Inflorescence 3–15 cm long, rachis continuous, internodes <10 mm long. Spikelets 10–29 mm long, appressed to the main rachis, with 4 to 9 florets, glumes shorter than spikelet, with a broad base, narrowly tapering to a point or short awn. Lemmas hairy, with a divergent awn 5–15 mm (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Open dry shrub steppe vegetation (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).