Tufted annual, culms slender, erect or ascending, to 50 cm high. Leaf-blades soft, bright green when young, to 20 cm long and 3 mm wide. Inflorescence a one-sided panicle (rarely a raceme), erect or slightly drooping, 1–10 cm long, well exserted from uppermost leaf-sheath. Spikelets 6–11 mm long (excluding awns), 4–10-flowered, mostly fertile; lower glume 2.5–6 mm long (from one-half to three-quarters as long as upper), upper glume 4.5–9 mm, unawned or with an awn to 2 mm; body of lemma 5–9 mm long, minutely tuberculate, awn up to twice as long as lemma body, callus rounded, c. 0.2–0.3 mm long. Flowers Sep.–Jan.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, HFE, VAlp. Naturalized in all States except NT. Native to much of Europe (possibly naturalised in the eastern part) and northern Africa. Common throughout the State, particularly on sandy soils and in disturbed habitats.
