Milium effusum is a grass with creeping rhizomes and short underground shoots. It has single, bare, thin stems, reaching in height up to 120 centimeters. Small leaves are only about 18 millimeters wide: they are smooth and rough on the edges. The length of broad and lax panicles covered with short spikes ranges from 15 to 35 centimeters. The lower floral scales are shiny and hard; they turn brown when they are ripe. Millium effusum flowers from the end of spring until mid-summer. From the first spring days until the onset of winter, the plant remains green. Its large panicles can survive even in freezing temperatures of minus -23°C.

Milium effusum yields crops in July to August. Its seeds are edible. The English name of this cereal is ‘wood millet.’ In the past, its seeds were ground into flour and used to bake bread. Millium effusum is added to the feed for birds. Also, the plant is used to make medicinal products, because it contains ascorbic acid and β-carotene. Most often, medicines based on this herb have antimicrobial properties. The leaves of Millium effusum contain flavonoids, so the plant extract is used in the manufacture of anti-inflammatory drugs.