Plants perennial, forming tufts or clumps. Flowering stems 35–150 cm long. Leaf sheaths glabrous or occasionally with a few long hairs at the tip, the ligule 0.1–0.3 mm long. Leaf blades 3–60 cm long, 2–6 mm wide, flat or with inrolled margins, roughened, often also hairy at the base of the upper surface. Inflorescences 12–40 cm long, terminal, open panicles, ovate to broadly triangular in outline, mostly free from the subtending leaf sheath, the lowermost branches alternate or opposite. Spikelets 1.5–2.5 mm long, the glumes noticeably unequal in length, the lower glume 1/2–3/4 as long as the upper glume. Lower glume 0.4–1.8 mm long, lanceolate to narrowly triangular, narrowed to a sharp point at the tip. Upper glume 1.0–2.4 mm long, about as long as the floret, narrowly ovate. Lemma 1.5–2.5 mm long, elliptic‑ovate, sharply pointed at the tip, 1‑nerved, glabrous. Paleas about as long as the lemmas. Anthers 1.0–1.7 mm long. Fruits 1.0–1.4 mm long, elliptic‑obovate in outline, reddish brown to nearly black. 2n=80, 90, 108, 126. May–October.

Introduced, known only from historical collections in Jackson County (western U.S. east to North Dakota and Texas, introduced farther east; Mexico). Habitat unknown, but presumably open, disturbed, saline areas.

This widespread western species has been planted in some portions of its range as forage for livestock in areas where soils are too salty for most other grasses to grow. Steyermark (1963) reported specimens from presumably native populations in the loess hills of Atchison County, but these could not be located during the present study.