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Culms 1–2.5 m, in loose tufts from short rhizomes, smooth except the sericeous nodes; sheaths glabrous to hirsute; ligule well developed, firm, continuous with the auricles; blades 5–10 mm wide; panicle 1–3 dm, narrow, freely branched, golden, the nodes and smaller branches ± villous; spikelets lanceolate, 6–8 mm, the first glume pale brown, villous; awn 9–15 mm, twisted below, bent at about a third of its length; sterile pedicels densely villous, 4–5.5 mm; 2n=20, 40, 80. Moist or dry prairies, open woods, and fields; throughout our range, s. to the Gulf, w. to Utah and Ariz. (S. avenaceum) An important constituent of the tall-grass prairies.
A grass. It grows 1.3 m tall.
