Perennial, caespitose. Culms 20–150 cm high, c. 5-noded; basal culm internodes swollen. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves: basal sheaths often pigmented at base; ligule entire; blade 4–45 cm long, 1.5–7 mm wide. Panicles spike-like, 3–12 cm long, cylindrical to ovoid or obovoid, uninterrupted. Spikelets in groups with 1 (or 2) bisexual and usually 6 sterile or male spikelets. Glumes equal, (3–) 5–8 mm long, 1.2 to twice length of adjacent fertile lemma, 1-keeled, with conspicuous wing on upper 1/2–2/3 of keel broadest and shortly toothed to jagged near apex, tapering more gradually at base than towards apex, 3-nerved (often with minor nerves between), chartaceous, minutely aristate, glabrous or sparsely hairy; midnerve green and ±scaberulous. Sterile lemmas vestigial, absent or reduced to scales c. 0.2–0.3 mm long, or sometimes represented by a few hairs at base of fertile floret. Bisexual floret pallid at maturity; lemma (2.7–) 3–4.3 mm long, acute, chartaceous, ± glabrous or with ±appressed, fine hairs towards apex, glossy; palea glabrous or rarely with a few hairs, not keeled; anthers 3–3.5 mm long; styles fused.
Grows in grasslands, woodlands, disturbed sites including pastures, or an escape from cultivation.
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