Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Fields, roadsides, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed areas, often where moist or wet.

Flowers: June-October

Origin: Introduced from Eurasia

Growth Duration: Annual

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Annual, the culms decumbent to erect, pith-filled or hollow, 6-16 dm. tall, the nodes glabrous.

Sheaths open, somewhat compressed; ligules none; blades flat, 4-16 mm. broad.

Inflorescence a stiff panicle, the branches spreading to erect, at least 3 cm. long; spikelets subsessile, 3-4 mm. long, borne along one side of the panicle branches; spikelets 2-flowered, the lower flower sterile; glumes unequal, 3-nerved, unawned; sterile lemma acuminate and awn-tipped, the awn sometimes up to 30 mm. long, about equal to the second glume, the palea membranous, about half as long as the lemma; fertile lemma and palea acuminate, hardened, unawned; stamens 3.