Strongly rhizomatous, very glaucous, 5-10 dm, the culms pithy at anthesis; lvs stiff, flat or often involute, scabrous, the nerves stout, convex, about as wide as the intervals; spikes compact, 8-12 cm; rachis-joints ±4-angled; spikelets 13-20 mm, 7-11-fld; glumes with broader, stouter veins than no. 3 [Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski]; lemmas acute, sometimes short-awned; 2n =42. Borders of salt-marshes; N.S. to Mass.; also in Europe.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.