Elymus ovatus Trinius in Ledebour, Fl. Altaic. 1: 121. 1829; Aneurolepidium ovatum (Trinius) Nevski; Leymus se-calinus (Georgi) Tzvelev subsp. ovatus (Trinius) Tzvelev.

Culms usually solitary, 70–100 cm tall, 3- or 4-noded, smooth, glabrous, but densely puberulent below spike. Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous; ligule ca. 1 mm, membranous, puberulent, apex truncate; leaf blade flat or rolled, 5–15 × 0.5–0.8 cm, abaxial surface densely pubescent, adaxial surface densely villous. Spike erect, oblong-ovate, 5–9 × 1.5–2.5 cm; rachis densely pubescent, internodes 2–6(–10) mm. Spikelets 4 per node, sessile or very shortly pedicellate, 1–2 cm, with 5–7 florets. Glumes linear-lanceolate, subequal, 10–13 mm, obscurely 3-veined, apex mucronate to acuminate. Lemma lanceolate, obscurely 5–7-veined, abaxially hirsutulous, margin ciliate, apex acuminate or with awn 1–3 mm; first lemma 8–10 mm; callus hirsute. Palea slightly shorter than or equaling lemma. Anthers 3.5–4 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.

Grassy places, river banks, roadsides. Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan].