This annual grass with a strictly Mediterranean distribution is present in all regions of Central and Southern Italy, in the major Islands, in Liguria, and, as an ephemeral weed, in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. It grows at the edge of cultivated fields, along roads, in hedges and in riverbeds, sometimes on ruins and rubble, from sea level to about 800 m. The species is very rare in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds. The genus name derives from the Greek 'phalaros' (white-stained), in reference to the colour of the glumes; the species name refers to the fact that this species is very different from the other congeneric species, to the point that for a long time it was included into a different genus. Flowering period: April to May.

Italian name(s): Furminteddu scagghiola (Sicilia, Etna), Phalaris paradossa (Italia), Scagliola sterile (Italia).