Tufted grass 30 to 100 cm tall, usually erect, occasionally kneed at base. Panicles are cylindrical, blunt and soft 2 to 10 cm long and 5 to 10 mm wide. Green or purple flushed. Spikelets are 4 to 6 mm long oblong to elliptical having lanceolate pointed glumes fringed with hairs on the keels.

Timothy is superficially similar

An early flowering grass. Inflorescence a ‘pointing finger’ spike. Each floret has a single awn emerging from its centre.

Meadows and grass verges.

April to June.

Perennial.

Very common throughout Britain.

Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 595 of the 617 tetrads.