Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; Alaska to California, east across much of North America to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Balds, prairies, roadsides, meadows, lawns, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas.

Flowers: May-July

Origin: Introduced from Europe

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Tufted perennial, grayish with velvety pubescence, the culms 5-10 dm. tall, sometimes becoming decumbent.

Sheaths open; ligules 1-2 mm. long, with marginal hairs; blades flat, 8-10 mm. broad.

Inflorescence a congested panicle 4-15 cm. long, grayish, purplish-tinged; spikelets 2-flowered, the lower flower perfect, the upper staminate, the rachilla prolonged as a short stub beyond the upper floret; glumes 3-4 mm. long, hairy on the nerves, the second much broader than the first, often with a very short, subapical awn; lemmas about 2 mm. long, smooth and shining, the upper with a strongly-hooked, subapical awn shorter than the glume; paleas thin, subequal to the lemmas; stamens 3.