Bromus sterilis

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Bromus sterilis, commonly called barren brome, poverty brome, or sterile brome, is an annual or biennial grass in the barley family. It grows 20–90 cm tall. Leaves are rough and hairy, about 2–6 mm wide and 6–25 cm long. The ligule is pointed and toothed, 2–4 mm long. The flowers form a loose, spreading panicle that droops, with spikelets 4–6 cm long containing 4–10 flowers and awns. The plant is green to purplish with short, soft hairs on the leaves. It grows from sea level up to about 365 meters, along roadsides, hedge bottoms, and is a common weed in waste ground and gardens. It is native in some regions but has spread widely as an introduced species; in North America it is often a noxious weed and is considered invasive in California.