Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains; also in the central U.S., Great Lakes region, and northeastern U.S.

Habitat: Dry wasteland and other disturbed areas in shrub-steppe and open coniferous forests.

Flowers: May-July

Origin: Introduced from Europe

Growth Duration: Annual

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Tufted to single-stemmed, glabrous annual, the culms 1-4 dm. tall.

Sheaths open; ligules 2-3 mm. long, truncate and lacerate; blades flat to folded, 1-3 mm. broad.

Inflorescence a narrow, greenish, interrupted panicle 5-10 cm. long; spikelets 1-flowered, articulate above the glume; first glume scarcely 2 mm. long, the second nearly 3 mm.; lemma 2 mm. long, with an awn 6-7 mm. long attached near the tip; palea subequal to the lemma; rachilla prolonged as a bristle about 0.5 mm. long; lodicules 2, 0.5 mm. long.

Utricle