Flowering stems 10–70 cm long, glabrous. Leaf blades 2–15 cm long, 0.5–3.0 mm wide, glabrous or hairy on the upper surface. Inflorescences 3–25 cm long. Spikelets 5.5–12.0 mm long (excluding the awns), with 3–7 relatively loosely spaced florets, the rachilla 0.9–1.1 long between the attachment points of the florets. Lower glume 0.5–2.5 mm long, less than 1/2 as long as the upper glume. Upper glume 2.3–5.5 mm long. Lemmas with the body 4–7 mm long, usually roughened, at least toward the tip, the tip with an awn 7.5–22.0 mm long. Anthers 0.5–0.9 mm long. Fruits 3.0–4.5 mm long. 2n=14, 42. April–June.

Introduced, scattered, mostly in counties along the Arkansas border (native of Europe, now naturalized nearly worldwide). Margins of ponds, fallow fields, roadsides, railroads, and open, disturbed areas.

Some authors separate this species into two widespread varieties, based upon whether the lemmas are hairy along the margins near the tip. Our plants conform to the glabrous‑margined var. myuros. The hairy‑margined variety is var. hirsuta Hack. These minor variants do not appear to deserve taxonomic recognition.