Its characteristic of forming many rhizomes helps distinguish it from some other grass species.
Stems are erect and nearly round or slightly flattened.
Leaf blades are flat to folded, 1-15 cm. Ligules are shorter than wide, and less than 2 mm. in length. Inflorescence is a panicle that is open to somewhat contracted. Lemmas have abundant cottony hairs at the base easily visible with a hand lens. Illustrations by Elsie Froeschner in The Grasses of Iowa by Richard Pohl, Vol.