Plants cespitose, sometimes weakly rhizomatous. Culms 35–140 cm tall, 1.5–3 mm thick, several together. Leaves exceeded by the spikes; auricles to 1 mm; ligules 0.1–1 mm, truncate; blades 1–5 mm wide, flat to strongly involute, adaxial surfaces glabrous or sparsely to densely hirsute, with 5–9 prominently ribbed, subequal veins. Spikes 4–14 cm long, 4–11 mm wide, nodes below midspike with 1–2(3) spikelets, distal nodes with 1 spikelet; internodes 3.5–9 mm, surfaces glabrous, edges scabrous or strigillose. Spikelets 9–21 mm, pedicellate, pedicels to 1 mm, with 3–6 florets. Glumesunequal to subequal, to 12.5 mm long, 0.5–3.2 mm wide, subulate, stiff, keeled, the central portion thicker than the margins, tapering from below midlength, 0–1(3)-veined, veins inconspicuous at midlength; lower glumes 0–12 mm; upper glumes 3.5–12.5 mm; lemmas 7–12.5 mm, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely strigillose, unawned or awned, awns to 2.5 mm; anthers 2.5–7.5 mm, dehiscent.
The three subspecies of Leymus salina differ in their pubescence and geographic distribution, with subsp. salina being the most common of the three. The specific epithet comes from the locality of the type collection: Salina Pass, Utah.