Critesion geniculatum Rafinesque, nom. illeg. superfl.; C. jubatum (Linnaeus) Nevski; Elymus jubatus (Linnaeus) Link.

Plants perennial, tufted, smooth and glabrous. Culms erect or decumbent at base, 30–60 cm tall, ca. 2 mm in diam., 3–5-noded. Leaf blade flat, 6–12 × 0.15–0.4 cm. Spike green or purplish green, nodding, 5–10 cm including awns, soft; rachis brittle. Lateral spikelets: reduced to 1–3 spreading awns, rarely male. Central spikelet:perfect; glumes spreading, awnlike, 2.5–6.5 cm, much longer than floret; lemma lanceolate 5–6(–8) mm, awn to 7 cm; palea equaling lemma. Fl. and fr. May–Aug. 2n = 28*.

Meadows, moist land. Heilongjiang, Liaoning [temperate regions of the world].