Single false-brome plants stay in compact bunches that grow up to three feet tall. It doesn’t spread by rhizomes like many weedy grasses, expanding more by creating large numbers of seeds, which use their long hairs to get tangled in fur or socks. It has unusually bright green leaves which stay green into November or even later. The leaves are also known for their softness and fuzziness. Seeds and flowers are attached directly to the main stem, unlike true bromes (Columbia brome; see 'Are there lookalikes?'), which have short secondary stems.

seedheads attached directly to the main stem

fuzzy hairs along the edges of the leaves

single seedheads alternate along the stem, causing a distinctive droop