Plants annuals or short-lived perennials. Culms to 150 cm. Leaves rolled in the bud; blades usually 10–30 cm long, (2)3–8 (13) mm wide. Spikes 15–45 cm, with 5–38 spikelets; rachises 0.8–2 mm thick at the nodes, not flexuous. Spikelets 8–31 mm long, 2–10 mm wide, with (10)11–22 florets. Glumes 5–18 mm, 1/4–1/2 as long as the florets, membranous to indurate; lemmas 4–8.2 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, usually awned, awns to 15 mm, attached 0.2–0.7 mm below the apices, rarely unawned; paleas shorter than to slightly longer than the lemmas; anthers (2.5)3–4.5(5) mm. Caryopses 2.5–4 mm long, 0.7–1.5 mm wide, 3 or more times longer than wide. 2n = 14.
Lolium multiflorum, a European species, now grows in most of the Flora region. It is planted as a cover crop, as a temporary lawn grass, for roadside restoration, and for soil or forage enrichment; it often escapes from cultivation, becoming established in disturbed sites.
Lolium multiflorum and L. perenne are interfertile and intergrade. Lolium multiflorum differs from L. perennein being a taller, shorter-lived perennial or annual with wider leaves that are rolled, rather than folded, in the bud. Hybrids between the two species are called Lolium ×hybridum Hausskn. Lolium multiflorum also hybridizes with L. rigidum; those hybrids are called Lolium ×hubbardii Jansen & Wacht. ex B.K. Simon.