This is an annual or biennial grass ranging from about 20 to 90 centimeters in maximum height.

Leaf blades are 2–6 mm wide and 6–25 cm long with short, soft hair.

[5] The inflorescence is a spreading panicle with the lower parts drooping more than the upper.

[7] It can be found between sea level and 365 metres, along roadsides, hedge bottoms, and is a common weed of waste ground and gardens.

It is a noxious weed on the eastern and western sides of North America, an Invasive species in California.