Introduced, cool-season, annual, tufted grass to 1 m tall. Leaves, sheaths and stems are covered in stiff hairs. Leaf blades are dull green, often with purplish stripes along the veins. A native of the Mediterranean, it is mainly found in disturbed areas such as cropping paddocks, roadsides and wastelands; but also grows in native grasslands, woodlands and coastal sites with low ground cover. More common in the south, it is adapted to sand-sandy loam soils. An indicator of disturbance and bare ground.