Tufted perennial with short rhizomes; culms 60-150 cm high, erect, rather stout, smooth. Leaf-blades up to 50 cm long, 4-12 mm wide, flat, scabrid above; ligule 2-4 mm long, obtuse or truncate. Panicle erect, 10-25 cm long and up to 5 cm wide, often rather dense, light brown or purplish. Spikelets 4-6 mm long, the rhachilla prolonged and penicillate; glumes subequal, lanceolate, scaberulous; lemma about two-thirds the length of the glumes, scaberulous, 2-toothed at the tip; awn 1-2 times the length of the lemma and arising from near its base, usually twisted below and slightly bent; callus hairs not more than half as long as the floret, usually less.

Type locality: Europe.

Distribution: Kashmir; Europe and Southwest Asia eastwards to India.