A short erect plant, usually less than 10cm cm tall with bristle-like grey green leaves which soon wither. It has a dense, oval to oblong spike like panicle, smooth leaf sheaths and untoothed, 3 mm long ligules.

Photograph the whole plant in its habitat

Dry, sandy places, rocky outcrops and heath grassland.

Flowering April to June

Annual.

Widespread in Britain, but rather local.

Locally frequent in Charnwood Forest, occasional elsewhere in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 30 of the 617 tetrads.