Annual 3-8 dm; culms smooth; sheaths and blades pilose, the blades 3-6 mm wide; ligule 2-4(-5.5) mm; infl relatively long, 1-2 dm, with erect or spreading branches (or the lowest reflexed) each bearing 1 or 2 4-7-fld spikelets 30-40+ mm (to 9 cm incl. the awns); glumes subulate, the first 13-20 mm, 1(-3)-veined, the second 20-30 mm, 3-veined; lemmas subulate, 22-30 mm, 5-veined, scabrously short-hairy, 1-1.5 mm wide in side-view, the scarious teeth 3-6 mm; awns (30-)35-60 mm; palea shorter than the lemma; anthers 0.7-1.5 mm; 2n=28, 42, 56, 70. Native of the Mediterranean region, now widely intr. in w. U.S., and casually adventive in our range.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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