Description: This introduced grass is a summer
annual about 1-3' long that usually branches at the base, sending up multiple
culms with alternate leaves. These culms are ascending to erect, light green,
hairless, and terete. The leaf blades are up to 8" long and ½" across;
they are green to greyish blue and flat, indented,
or slightly
twisted. Each leaf blade is widest at the base, where there may be a few long
white hairs, otherwise it is hairless. The leaf sheaths are green to greyish
blue, somewhat flattened, and hairless. The culm terminates in a spike-like
raceme of florets up to 5" long. This inflorescence is densely covered with
bristly spikelets throughout its length. Each spikelet is ovoid and about 3 mm.
long, consisting of 2 glumes, 2 lemmas, and a floret; the glumes are shorter
than the lemmas. At the base of each spikelet, there is a very short pedicel
and 5-15 bristles up to 9 mm. long. Immature spikelets are shiny green, while
their bristles are yellow. During the blooming period, which occurs from
mid-summer to early fall, the spikelets are still green, but their bristles
become tawny-colored. With the maturity, the entire inflorescence become light
tan. The medium-large grains are ovoid and somewhat flattened. The root system
is fibrous. This grass spreads by reseeding itself.