Perennial, usually shortly rhizomatous. Culms erect, often geniculate at base, mostly to 60 cm high. Leaves glabrous, or with very few, scattered hairs near the blade-sheath junction; blade flat or folded, to 20 cm long and 4 (rarely to 7) mm wide; ligule 0.5–2.5 mm long. Panicle cylindric, 1–10 cm long, mostly c. 0.5 mm wide. Spikelets elliptic, shortly pointed, 2–3 mm long, each subtended by several antrorsely barbed bristles 3–8 mm long; lower glume 3-nerved, ovate, c. half as long as spikelet; upper glume 3–5-nerved, ovate, acute, half as long as spikelet to subequal to it; lower floret neuter or male, its lemma equal to spikelet, its palea almost as long; fertile lemma equal or subequal to spikelet, very shortly pointed, granular, prominently transversely ridged. Flowers Dec.–Mar.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, VAlp. Naturalised all States except NT. A frequent weed of gardens, lawns, rough pasture and crops, most abundant in well-watered sites (roadside runoff etc.) and particularly common after wet summers.
