Plants not rhizomatous. Culms 30-100 cm, rarely geniculate. Ligules to 1 mm; blades 1.5-6 mm wide. Spikes (5)8-15 cm long, 5-13 mm wide, linear to narrowly lanceolate; internodes 1.5-5 mm. Spikelets 7-16 mm, appressed or diverging up to 30(35)- from the rachises. Glumes 3-5 mm, glabrous or hairy, often awned, awns 1-3 mm; lemmas 5-9 mm, keels scabrous distally, apices unawned, sometimes mucronate, mucros up to 0.5 mm; anthers 4-5 mm. 2n = (14), 28, (42).

Agropyron fragile is native from the southern Volga basin through the Caucasus to Turkmenistan and Mongolia. It is more drought-tolerant than A. cristatum. Within the Flora region, A. fragile appears to be uncommon outside of experimental plantings. This may change as more cultivars become available.