It is an annual plant, typically 30-45 centimetres in height, with clusters of golden flowers in a panicle 5–8 cm long and 2–2.5 cm broad. The species is native to the Mediterranean Basin and neighboring regions from Portugal to the Canary Islands east to Ethiopia and northern India. It is also naturalized in parts of Australia and the Americas, considered an invasive weed in some areas.Tufted annual to 0.4 m high.
Leaves with ligule membranous, acuminate, c. 7 mm long; blade flat, to 6 mm wide.
Inflorescence 3–7 cm long, to 1.5 cm wide. Spikelets trimorphic, forming clusters, the base of each cluster with hairs to 1 mm long. Common sterile spikelets 1–3 per cluster, 4–6 mm long, 4–8-flowered; glumes aristate or mucronate, equal, 2–3 mm long; florets reduced to lemmas c. 2 mm long. Less common sterile spikelets 0 or 1 per cluster, 1 or 2 flowered, at least 1 lemma awned. Fertile spikelets 1 per cluster, 2-flowered, with similar glumes to sterile spikelets; lower lemma bisexual 2.5 mm long, 2-lobed, the lobes c. 0.5 mm long; awn subterminal, 5 mm long; palea membranous, narrow, 2-keeled. Upper lemma sterile, reduced with subterminal awn 4–5 mm long.
This plant is useful.
How to get rid of:
Put on gloves and gently pull out the plant with the root system, you can use a shovel for convenience.
