Annual. Culms erect, 20–60 cm tall, 3- or 4-noded. Leaf sheaths pubescent; leaf blades 5–20 cm, 2–4 mm wide, pubescent; ligule 1.5–2 mm. Panicle spreading, 8–15 cm, secund; branches 3–5 at lower nodes, slender, mostly curved, scabrid, pubescent, each bearing 1–8 slightly nodding spikelets. Spikelets 10–35(–50) mm; florets 4–8; rachilla internodes 2–3 mm; glumes narrowly lanceolate, margins membranous, lower glume 8–15 mm, 1–3-veined, upper glume 11–17 mm, 3–7-veined, apex acute, obtuse, or shortly aristiform; lemmas 9–22 mm, 1–1.5 mm wide in side view, 5–7-veined, scabrid or pubescent, margins thinly membranous, shiny, apex acuminate, acute, or obtuse, 2-toothed, awned from sinus, awn 12–25(–40) mm, slender, straight; palea shorter than or subequal to lemma, keels ciliate. Stamens 3; anthers 0.5–2 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Sep.

This species is a widespread weed, adventive in most temperate regions of the world.

Grassy places, dry slopes, river beaches, dry sandy places, wastelands, roadsides; 100–3400(–4200) m. Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [NW India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; N Africa, SW Asia, Europe; introduced in America and Australia].