annual; culms fascicled or solitary, erect, rather stout, straight, 1–1 1/2 ft. long, glabrous, rough, at least in the upper part, 2–4-noded, uppermost internode usually long exserted; leaves glabrous; sheaths rather tight, strongly striate; ligules very short, truncate; blades linear, acute, 1/2–1 ft. by 2–3 lin., flat, rough all over or only on the upper side and along the margins; spikes erect, 1/4–1 ft. long, of rather numerous (10–20) spikelets; axis rather stout, slightly rough or smooth on the back; spikelets about the length of the internodes, or the lower shorter and more distant, the upper more approximate, laterally compressed, 5–9 lin. long, 5–9-flowered; florets turgid; upper glume oblong, equalling or somewhat exceeding the uppermost floret, subobtuse to acute, very rigid, flat, glabrous, smooth, 7–9-nerved; valves elliptic-oblong, obtuse or subobtuse, muticous or usually awned, 3–3 1/2 lin. long, rounded on the back, herbaceous-chartaceous, smooth, 5-nerved, tips rather broad, hyaline, obscurely 2-toothed; awn subterminal, straight, rather stout at the base, scaberulous, up to 8 lin. long; pales broad, keels green, stout; anthers over 1 lin. long; grain elliptic-oblong, semiterete, grooved in front, slightly shorter than the pale. null
