Leaves are rolled in the bud and are approximately 5 to 10 mm wide. Leaves are smooth and glossy below while upper leaf surfaces are rough and may have hairs along the margins. Auricles are absent and the ligule is a fringe of hairs that is usually less than 1 mm long. Sheaths are round to slightly flattened, without hairs except occasionally where the leaf joins to the sheath. A fibrous root system.
Individual spikelets are gray to silver in color.
Annual grass that emits an unpleasant odor and has ligules that are less than 1 mm long and are a fringe of hairs. The distinctive grayish-green panicle also helps to distinguish this weed from other similar grasses.