annual, 1/3–1 ft. high; culms fascicled and branched or simple, geniculate, ascending or suberect, glabrous, smooth, 3–5- (rarely more-) noded, usually sheathed all along or intermediate internodes shortly exserted; leaves glabrous; sheaths smooth, striate, tight; ligules very short, hyaline, truncate, denticulate, slightly produced on one side; blades narrow, linear, tapering to a fine point, 2–6 in. by 1 lin., flat or involute, soft or somewhat rigid, finely or obscurely scaberulous above and along the margins; spike slender, cylindric, erect, straight or slightly curved, 2–8 in. long; rhachis dull green, slightly striate, smooth, subarticulate, tough, margins of hollows and articulation lines whitish; spikelets alternate, 1 to each joint or sometimes 2 subopposite, always longer than the joint, 2–3 1/2 lin. long, 1-flowered; lower glume 0; upper lanceolate-linear, very acute, thick, very hard, prominently 5–7-nerved, smooth; valve lanceolate-oblong, acute, 2–2 1/2 lin. long, hyaline, 3-nerved; pale delicately 2-nerved, hyaline, minutely 2-toothed; anthers linear, about 1 lin. long; grain oblong, elliptic in cross section or semiterete, 1 1/4 lin. long. null
