Other common names include bluejoint, bluejoint reedgrass, Canadian reedgrass, meadow pinegrass, and marsh reedgrass. It is found in high quality wet meadows and wet prairies in tall and mixed grass prairies in the Prairie Pothole Region. Bluejoint is a long lived, perennial cool season grass with stout stems. It is used in wetland restoration and enhancement as well as shoreline and streambank stabilization.

Creeping underground shoots (rhizomes) improve the plant's ability to bind soil, especially along higher gradient streams and waterways. It is included in hydroseeding mixtures for drainage ditches designed to filter stormwater. This species provides forage for bison, deer, small mammals, waterfowl, and other bird species.

Bluejoint occurs from low to mid-elevation across most of Canada and the United States, except for the Southeast.