It is native to Northern Africa, Western Asia and Southern Europe and is cultivated or naturalised in the British Isles, the Azores, Australasia, the western United States, Central and South America, and Hawaii.

[3][4][1] It grows to a height of 60 cm.

Their spikelets resemble those of the unrelated species Bromus briziformis.

The seeds and leaves are edible.

This Pooideae article is a stub.