Perennials, tufted, stoloniferous, shoots with or without beadlike swellings. Culms decumbent to geniculate, 20–100 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., nodes 3 or 4, scabrid below panicle and nodes. Lower leaf sheaths usually densely retrorsely scabrid, 8–15 cm, subequal to blade, uppermost closed for ca. 1/4 of length; blade flat, papery, 8–20 cm × 2–5 mm, surfaces scabrid, apex acuminate; ligule 3.5–10 mm, abaxially scabrid, acute to acuminate, collar smooth or scabrid, glabrous. Panicle oblong to pyramidal, 9–20 × 2–4 cm; branches obliquely ascending to spreading, 4–5 per node, densely scabrid throughout, longest ca. 4 cm with many spikelets crowded in distal 1/2, pedicels very short. Spikelets 2.5–3.5(–4) mm, florets 2 or 3; vivipary absent; glumes scabrid on keel, lower glume narrow, often sickle-shaped, 1.5–2 mm, 1-veined, upper glume 2.2–3 mm, 3-veined; lemmas ca. 2.5 mm, abaxial surface slightly arched, keel shortly villous for ca. 1/2 of length, marginal veins glabrous or pilulose to short-villous in lower 1/3, intermediate veins prominent, areas between veins minutely bumpy, glabrous; callus webbed, hairs long; palea subequal to lemma, minutely bumpy between keels, glabrous, keels minutely scabrid or bumpy. Anthers ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Jul.

Poa trivialis is sometimes seeded as a pasture and lawn species. It establishes well in cool, moist, shady sites, including gardens, trails, adjacent woods, and disturbed ground. It is probably introduced in China. Two races (or species) are usually recognized, with subsp. tri-vialis far more widely dispersed beyond the native European–SW Asian range of the species.

Moist places, grassy places on slopes; 1000–3500 m. Hebei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Nei Mongol, N Sichuan, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe; introduced in Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and North and South America].