Vigorously rhizomatous; culms solitary or few together, erect, 5–12 dm; ligule 0.5–1 mm; blades 6–18 cm × (4–)6–10(–13) mm, tapering conspicuously to the base; infl arcuate, slender, 15–30 cm × 2–5 mm, with few appressed branches; spikelets 3–5 mm; glumes subequal, shorter than the lemma, broad and overlapping at base, abruptly curved to an acute or awned tip, the second often 2–3-veined; lemma sparsely bearded on the callus; anthers 1–2 mm; 2n=40. Rich upland woods; Mass. and N.H. to Wis. and Io., s. to Tenn., Ga. (in the mts.) and Mo. The widespread var. tenuiflora is retrorsely hirsute on the sheaths and stems especially at and just below the nodes, and the lemma is tipped with an awn 4–11 mm. Var. variabilis (Scribn.) Pohl, at middle elev. in the S. Appal. from W.Va. to e. Ky., w. N.C., and n. Ga., is virtually glabrous and has awnless or short-awned (to 4 mm) lemmas.
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