Tufted annual, culms erect or geniculate, to 50 cm high. Leaf-blades flat, 4–15 cm long and 1.5–4 mm wide, velvety-hairy; sheaths of lower leaves with scattered to moderately dense hairs 0.5–1 mm long, sheaths of upper leaves inflated; ligules membranous, c. 0.5 mm long; auricles not developed. Spike 1.5–5 cm long (excluding awns), rachis strongly zig-zagged. Glumes of spikelets in each triad subequal, or those of the central spikelet shorter, 10–20 mm long, glumes of the bisexual central spikelet and outer glume of barren lateral spikelets subulate; inner glumes of lateral spikelets subulate to slightly dilated (but not prominently winged) toward base, to 0.7 mm wide; lemma of central spikelet 6–7 mm long, smooth, with a straight terminal awn 10–23 mm long, exceeding glumes; awn and lemma of lateral spikelets from half as long to subequal to those of central spikelet; palea subequal to lemma. Flowers Sep.–Jan.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, HSF, HNF, Strz, MonT, VAlp. Also naturalised WA, NT (doubtfully naturalised), SA, NSW, Tas. Indigenous to southern and eastern Europe. Except for the Otway Range and alpine areas, occurs almost throughout the State, usually on silty soils or clays, particularly in seasonally wet sites.
