Medium size grass, branching at the base to produce multiple flowering stems. Leaves alternate on stems, about 8 inches long and 1/2 inch wide, hairy on the upper surface.. Inflorescence elongated, bristly, curved and drooping, and resembling a sad fox's tail. The inflorescence is made of many flowers called spikelets, with many bristles each. Blooms in summer.

An alien grass introduced from Europe. Likes highly disturbed areas, especially roadsides. Very common in this area. In Wildwood it is common along the Riverway, in sunny areas, especially in the Great South Meadow.

Yellow foxtail (S. pumila) has smaller, yellowish, more erect, inflorescences, and the leaves are not hairy. Resembles the native riverbank wild rye, but that species has less droopy inflorescences and likes moist to wet places.