A moderately coarse perennial bunchgrass. The numerous flowering stems are usually 1 to 3 feet tall and are moderately leafy, particularly near the base of the plant.
Flowers tend to have a violet color which gives stands a green-violet cast.
Before flowering both stems and leaves tend to have a slight bluish color. From 2 to 10 inches long, flat or slightly inrolled at the edges, somewhat rough to the touch. Seedheads vary widely in appearance, ranging from slender with spikelets barely over-lapping to moderately thick with spikelets moderately overlapping. In open forests and mountain meadows at elevations from 5,000 to 12,000 feet. Where these conditions occur, slender wheatgrass may be found from Apache to Mohave counties on the north to Cochise and Pima counties on the south.