Japan Flora: Culms 40-100 cm. long, branching below, slightly scabrous above; leaf-blades flat, 10-30 cm. long, 8-20 mm. wide, often pilose above, the sheath-margins and ligules ciliate; panicles cylindric, spikelike, contracted, 5-10 cm. long, nodding, green, sometimes slightly purpurascent, the bristles numerous; spikelets densely arranged, ovate to broadly so> obtuse, 2.8-3 mm. long; first glume about 1/3 as long as the spikelet, the second 2/3-3/4 as long, broadly ovate; sterile lemma as long as the spikelet; fertile lemma ovate, rather obtuse, punctate and minutely rugulose, rather lustrous. Sept.-Nov. Waste grounds and thickets.
Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; very common; grows in more shaded places than the preceding species. China; naturalized in N. America.