Culms laxly tufted, 20–60(–80) cm tall, usually puberulent, rarely glabrous. Leaf sheath hairy or glabrous; leaf blade involute or flat, 5–15(–20) × 0.2–0.5(–0.9) cm, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial surface moderately pubescent. Spike oblong-ovoid or ovoid-lanceolate, very dense, 2–6 × 0.8–2.5 cm; rachis internodes ca. 1 mm. Spikelets pectinately arranged, diverging at wide angle from rachis, 6–18 mm, with (3–)5–11 florets. Glumes lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, pilose or glabrous, rarely laxly spinescent hairy, usually awned; awn ± equaling glume body; proximal glume 2–3 mm; distal glume 3–4 mm. Lemma pilose, densely so, or glabrous, rarely laxly spinescent hairy, usually awned; awn 2–4 mm. Palea ciliate along keels, apex 2-toothed. Anthers ca. 4 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Sep. 2n = 28*.

This species provides good forage.

Dry mountain slopes, dry meadows, steppes, stony steppe slopes. Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia; SW Asia, Europe; introduced in North America].