Culms 20-80 cm. Spikes 5-10 cm long, 0.5-0.8(1) cm wide, 2-sided; internodes 5-10 mm. Spikelets usually with the bases concealed. Glumes 9.5-13.5 mm, 1 vein scabrous over most of its length, the basal 1/4 usually smooth, the remaining veins scabrous or smooth, awned, awns 1.5-2 mm; lemmas awned, awns 2.5-10 mm, often curved.

Elymus trachycaulus subsp. virescens is restricted to Greenland. It is very consistent in its morphology.