It occurs in the United States, New Caledonia, Fiji, Mauritius,[4] Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, China, the Middle East and tropical America.

[4] The clustered spikelets in the seed heads have some tubercle-based hairs and twisted awns,[4] which can be up to 5 centimeters long.

[5] This grass is a major noxious weed in parts of Australia, where it was introduced in the 1930s.

The plant was first recorded in Australia in September 1935 near Habana in the Mackay Region of Queensland.

The weed easily invades ecosystems, displacing native vegetation.