perennial or annual (flowering the first year ?), 1/2–1 ft. high; stems prostrate, emitting tufts of barren shoots and culms from the rooting nodes; culms geniculately-ascending, 2–3-noded, more or less sulcate below, glabrous, upper internodes exserted; leaves conspicuously distichous; basal sheaths much compressed, keeled, short, uppermost usually subtumid, all glabrous, smooth; ligules membranous, up to 1/4 lin. long, ciliolate; blades linear, obtuse, 1 1/2–2 in. by 1 1/2–2 lin., rarely longer, flat, glaucous, glabrous, smooth or scaberulous above, margins rough; spikes 3–9, sessile or some shortly peduncled, umbelled or subumbelled, suberect, at length usually spreading, pallid or purplish, 1 1/2–3 in. long; rhachis scabrid; spikelets 2-awned, 1/4 lin. long; rhachilla joints between the valves 2/3 the length of the lower valve, fine, rhachilla not produced; glumes very narrow, lanceolate, acuminate, the lower 1/2– 2/3 lin. long, the upper 1–1 1/4 lin., keels very scabrid; lower valve linear-oblong in profile, acute, minutely 2-toothed, 1 1/4 lin. long, glabrous, keel and tip scaberulous; callus minutely bearded, awn very fine, 6–8 lin. long; pale glabrous, keels scabrid; anthers 1/4 lin. long; grain linear-oblong, 7/8 lin. long; upper valve rudimentary, empty, 1/3 lin. long, awn 2–3 lin. long. null
