Loosely tufted perennial, sometimes with creeping rhizomes; culms 10-40 cm high, simple, erect or ascending. Leaf-blades up to 15 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, flat or folded, glabrous or hairy; ligule up to 1 mm long. Panicle narrowly oblong, 2-10 cm long, usually lobed or interrupted in the lower part. Spikelets 2-3-flowered, silvery-green, brownish or purplish; glumes glabrous or shortly hairy along the keel, acuminate, mucronate or shortly aristulate, the lower narrowly lanceolate, 3-4.5 mm long, 1-nerved, the upper oblong-elliptic,4-5.5 mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas oblong-elliptic, 35-5.5 mm long, 3-nerved, glabrous, acuminate or mucronate, awnless; anthers about 2 mm long.

Type: Siberia, Tilesius (LE).

Distribution: Pakistan (Baluchistan, Punjab, N.W.F.P., Gilgit & Kashmir); throughout temperate regions of the northern hemisphere.

The name Koeleria cristata Pers. (usually incorrectly cited with “(Linn.) Pers.” as authority) was superfluous when published. Included in its circumscription were the types of two earlier species on which Koeleria pyramidata (Lam.) P. Beauv. And Koeleria pectinata (Lam.) Shinners (=Koeleria vallesiana (Honck.) Gaud.) are based.

Koeleria macrantha is a widespread alpine plant in Pakistan and Kashmir found between 1600 and 4500m. Fl. & Fr. Per.: April-September.