Tufted perennial, culms 30–200 cm high. Leaves strongly ribbed, smooth or scabrous, glabrous except for ciliate margins of auricles; blade flat, to 60 cm long and 12 mm wide; ligule 0.5–2 mm long. Panicle linear to lanceolate in outline, often interrupted, 10–50 cm long. Spikelets 3–10-flowered, 10–18 mm long, often purplish; glumes 3.5–7 mm long, equal or the upper up to 1.5 mm longer than lower; lemma acute or narrowly bilobed, 6–9 mm long, smooth to scabrous along nerves, awnless or with a subterminal awn to 4 mm long; palea equal to lemma. Flowers mostly Oct.–Feb.
Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, VAlp. Naturalized in all States except NT, also widely in temperate regions of the world. Native through most of Europe, temperate Asia, northern Africa. In Victoria preferring winter-wet areas and particularly common along roadside ditches and in irrigated areas.
Source:
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
