annual, tufted; culms erect, or ascending, very slender, 8 in. to almost 2 ft. long, glabrous, smooth, 2–3-noded, internodes more or less exserted (at least ultimately); sheaths tight, more or less compressed, glabrous, smooth; ligule a fringe of minute hairs; blades linear, tapering to a fine point, 2–10 in. by 1/2–1 lin., flat, very flaccid, green, glabrous or scantily hairy, scabrid; panicle oblong, very loose and open, 4–10 in. long; axis smooth, filiform; branches 3–2-nate, rarely solitary, spreading, capillary, scabrid, glabrous, loosely divided from near the base, lowest branchlets divided again, and 3- or more-spiculate; pedicels very long and fine; spikelets minute, elliptic to lanceolate, 1 lin. long, 2- or sometimes 1- (very rarely 3-) flowered, green, more or less tinged with purple or almost wholly purple; rhachilla very slender, persistent, continued and scaberulous beyond the upper floret; glumes subequal, linear-lanceolate, 1/2 to almost 3/4 lin. long, 1-nerved, keel scaberulous; valves oblong to lanceolate in profile, acute to subobtuse, 2/3 lin. long, very thin, glabrous, side-nerves faint; pales persistent equalling the valves, truncate, keels fine and smooth; anthers 1/6– 1/4 lin. long; grain subglobose, about 2/5 lin. in diam., granulate, excavated above the punctiform hilum, pit oblong, pallid; embryo 1/2 the length of the grain; pericarp slightly swelling in water. null
