Densely colonial by rhizomes, 6-20 dm; lvs 4-20 mm wide; ligules 4-12 mm; infl dense, elongate, to 35 cm, at maturity silky from the protruding callus-hairs; glumes lance-subulate, 4-5(-8) mm; lemma membranous, 2-2.5(-3.5) mm, the slender awn inserted variously from near the base to above the middle; callus-hairs copious, much exceeding the lemma and nearly equaling the glumes; rachilla not prolonged; 2n=28, 42, 56, 70. Native of Eurasia, intr. in sandy woods, salt-marshes, fields, and waste places from Mass. to N.J. and Pa., and casually w. to s. Ont., Mich., N.D., and Kans.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.