Perennial, loosely tufted, stoloniferous, turf-forming. Culms erect or geniculate at base, 20–60 cm tall, 1–1.2 mm in diam., 3–5-noded. Leaf sheaths smooth; leaf blades linear, flat or involute toward apex, 3–20 cm × 1–3 mm, scaberulous; ligule 1.5–4 mm, back scaberulous, apex obtuse or acute. Panicle lax, lanceolate to ovate in outline, 5–12(–20) cm; branches 3–6 per node, spreading at anthesis, usually erect in fruit, capillary, up to 8 cm, scabrid, bare in lower half. Spikelets 1.5–3 mm, purplish brown; glumes lanceolate, subequal, keel scabrid, apex acute; callus hairs ca. 0.2 mm; lemma 2/3 spikelet length, awned from near base to slightly below middle of back, lateral veins minutely exserted, apex obtuse-denticulate; awn weakly geniculate, up to 4.5 mm; palea ca. 0.5 mm. Anthers 1–1.5 mm. Fl. Jul.

This is a European species, introduced as a lawn grass or adventive in some other temperate countries. Some variants are awnless or have poorly developed awns. It is distinguished from Agrostis vinealis and other awned species with short paleas by the combination of leafy stolons and long anthers.

Damp grasslands; 1400–3800 m. Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Japan, Kashmir, Mongolia, Russia; Europe, NE America].