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

Habitat: Fields, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed areas.

Flowers: July-October

Origin: Introduced from Mediterranean

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Strongly rhizomatous perennial, the culms 1-1.5 m. tall.

Sheaths open; ligules about 2 mm. long, hairy and fringed; blades flat, 10-20 mm. broad.

Inflorescence a large panicle up to 3 dm. long, the branch tips raceme-like, ending in 3 spikelets; lower nodes each with a sessile, perfect-flowered spikelet and a pedicillate, staminate spikelet, the 2 spikelets about 6 mm. long; pedicillate spikelet unawned; sessile spikelet with an awn 9-15 mm. long; glumes hardened, shiny, unnerved; lemmas and paleas papery and delicate.