A gregarious annual. Culms erect or geniculately ascending, 2–4 in. high, filiform to subcapillary, up to 6-noded, usually branched from the base and also upwards, purplish, puberulous; lower internodes short, the uppermost over half the length of the culm. Leaf-sheaths up to 5/8 in. long, the lower longer, the intermediate and uppermost shorter than the internodes, finely striate, loosely pubescent, shortly bearded at the mouth; ligule a ciliate rim; blade lanceolate to ovate, rounded at the base, acute, 2 1/2–7 1/2 lin. long, 1–2 lin. wide, flat, or with involute margins when dry, pubescent on the lower surface and loosely pilose above, minutely scaberulous on the cartilaginous margins. Panicle ovate to oblong, 1/2–1 1/2 in. long, up to 1/2 in. wide, loose; rhachis very slender, minutely scaberulous; branches paired or solitary, few-spiculate, capillary, flexuous, minutely scaberulous, up to 10 lin. long; pedicels 2–4 lin. long. Spikelets oblong, at length gaping, 1 1/2–2 lin. long, yellowish-brown. Glumes thinly chartaceous, loosely setulose especially near the nerves with white hairs from brown tubercles; lower narrowly ovate or ovate-oblong, acute, 1 1/4–1 1/2 lin. long; upper narrowly ovate, acutely acuminate, as long as the spikelet. Lower floret barren: valve similar to the upper glume, slightly wider and shorter, thinner, 1–3-nerved, very shortly setulose from minute tubercles, or glabrous and minutely asperulous upwards; valvule linear, obtuse, 1–1 1/4 lin. long, membranous, with or without a few bristle-like hairs from the middle. Upper floret linear, at length pale brown: callus truncate, bearded with short white hairs; valve 1–1 1/4 lin. long, 2-lobed, with each lobe tapering into a capillary flexuous bristle up to 2 lin. long, finely 5–7-nerved, thinly coriaceous, with a dense tuft of silky white hairs at the base of each lobe, the remainder shortly pubescent; awn 4–5 lin. long; column dark brown, 1–1 3/4 lin. long; valvule obtuse, about 1 lin. long, sometimes pubescent between the keels and with or without a few long bristle-like hairs. Grain obovate-oblong, 1/2– 3/4 lin. long.
