Habit: 		Tufted perennial.
Culms: 		60-120 cm. tall, tufted, simple, rigid, erect, green or glaucous.
Blades: 	Flat, 10-30 cm. long, 4-15 mm. wide, auricled, scabrous especially 
                towards the tip.
Sheaths: 	Mostly shorter than internodes, the lower overlapping, the uppermost 
                often inflated and enclosing the base of the spike, glabrous or 
                sometimes the lower sparsely pubescent.
Ligule: 	Rigid, short membrane, truncate.
Inflorescence: 	Closely flowered cylindric terminal spikes 5-15 cm. long, about 12 mm. 
                thick usually erect, often included at the base in the upper sheath.
Spikelets: 	Usually 2 at each node, 3-5-flowered, sessile at the alternate notches 
                of the continuous rachis; rachilla articulated above the glumes and 
                between the florets.
Glumes: 	2, equal, about 12 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, strongly nerved about, 
                firm, indurate, yellowish, placed edge to edge in front or toward the sides 
                of the florets, nerveless and bowed out at the base leaving a rounded sinus, 
                broadened above, scabrous, the apex somewhat curved, tapering into a 
                straight awn about as long as the body or shorter.
Lemmas: 	Lower 6-8 mm. long, glabrous and nerveless below, scabrous and nerved 
                above, oblong or lanceolate, rounded on the back, tapering into a straight 
                scabrous awn 4-18 (usually about 10) mm. long.
Palea: 		Elliptic, ciliate, a little shorter than its lemma.
Fruit: 		Grain hairy at the summit, adherent to the lemma and palea.
Habitat: 	Moist soil, low woods and along streams.  June-August.
Range: 		Newfoundland to Alberta, south to Florida and Arizona.
Synonyms:	Elymus virginicus L. var. virginicus
		Elymus australis Scribn. & Ball
		Elymus glabriflorus (Vasey) Scribn. & Ball
		Elymus hirsutiglumis Scribn.
		Elymus jejunus (Ramaley) Rydb.
		Elymus striatus Willd.
		Elymus virginicus L. var. australis (Scribn. & Ball) A.S. Hitchc.
		Elymus virginicus L. var. glabriflorus (Vasey) Bush
		Elymus virginicus L. var. hirsutiglumis (Scribn.) A.S. Hitchc.
		Elymus virginicus L. var. intermedius (Vasey) Bush
		Elymus virginicus L. var. jejunus (Ramaley) Bush