Origin:
Native to Europe, and now widespread throughout the west and southwest United States. Found commonly in both cultivated fields and in waste areas.
Biology:
A summer annual grass propagating from seed. Early growth may be somewhat prostrate, as leaves growing on the soil surface. Mature plant may remain low growing, but stems tend to turn upward, and when in competition with other plants the grass will grow upright to 3 feet tall. Stems that lay on the soil may root at the lower nodes.
Identification:
Mature plants grow to 3 feet tall, with stems bending upward at the lower nodes. Stems are flattened. Leaves are smooth and flat, about 1/4 inch wide and up to 6 inches long. Where they attach to the stem there is no ligule or auricle. Leaves often with purple bands across them, widely spaced. Flower head is up to 6 inches long with 5 to 10 flower groups along their length and widely spaced. These spikelets are usually around 1 inch long, and have the flower groups arranged in several rows along them. The spikelets do not end in a bristle.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
