Tufted with stems as much as a foot tall, the leaf blades of this high elevation grass are slender and somewhat flattened. Found on the north and east sides of the Park, a historical collection at 10,000 feet is known.

The flowers are borne in an open panicle. There are hairs on the back of the lemma, the lowest of the two bracts that enclose the floret. This is subspecies grayana.