0.5-2 ft. tall; slender; round in cross-section
4-12 in. long, less than 0.12 in. wide; sometimes covered with short hairs; collar region usually has long hairs, auricles and a membranous ligule
Seedhead is a spike, 0.5-2 in. long; awns are stiff, straight or twisted, barbed and up to 3 in. long; spikes often remain intact on dry plants through winter
Fibrous
Grows best on clay soils; primarily infests rangeland; known to occur in Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Humboldt, Pershing, Storey and Washoe counties
Annual; reproduces by seed; matures 2-4 weeks later than other annual grasses
Unpalatable to grazing animals due to high levels of silica in the foliage and long, stiff awns
Tillage, mowing or grazing prior to seed set can reduce stands
Burning has had mixed results; most effective with a hot, slow fire prior to medusahead seed maturity but after other species have dried-down; burning can also be used to reduce the thatch layer, which canincrease the performance of soil-applied herbicides
Apply imazapic or sulfometuron before emergence or to small, actively growing plants; glyphosate to actively growing plants