Annual, loosely tufted, from a few inches to 1 1/2 ft. high. Culms very slender to filiform from an ascending base, up to 9- or more-noded, terete, glabrous or more or less finely pubescent, lower internodes short, those of the upright part few and long (the uppermost up to over 6 in.) and long-exserted. Leaf-sheaths thin, the lower loose and short (3–4 lin. long), the upper tight and long, prominently striate, spreadingly hirsute with tubercle-based hairs; ligule a very narrow membranous ciliolate rim; blades narrowly lanceolate, from a rounded much constricted base, finely acuminate, from less than 1 (lower leaves) to 3 in. by 3–4 lin., flat, very thin, flaccid, sparingly and finely hairy, margins scaberulous, midrib and primary nerves (about 3 on each side) very fine, secondary nerves about 5 in each interval with obscure extremely delicate cross-veins. Panicles erect, long-exserted, ultimately somewhat stiff, widely open and very loose and delicate, ovate-oblong in outline, up to 9 in. by 6–8 in., divided to the third degree; axis very slender, terete or angular, smooth below, scaberulous upwards, internodes 1/3– 2/3 in. long, sometimes with a few longer ones thrown in; primary branches finely filiform, ultimately much spreading, smooth like all the following divisions, and like these very loosely divided from the base, the longest up to 4 in. long; secondary branchlets finely capillary, up to 8 lin. long, bearing 3–1 very widely scattered spikelets; pedicels extremely delicate, but straight, 3–8 lin. long, not thickened upwards. Spikelets elliptic-oblong, obtuse, very slightly over 1/2 lin. long, hardly oblique in profile, greenish, finely puberulous. Glumes very thinly herbaceous, very faintly nerved; lower broad-ovate from a clasping base, acute, 3- to sub-5-nerved, upper corresponding to the spikelet in length and outline, 5-nerved, broad on the back. Lower floret barren; valve very like the upper glume; valvule reduced to a hyaline oblong scale. Upper floret hermaphrodite, elliptic in outline, acute, less than 1/2 lin. long, whitish or yellowish, smooth, but not polished; valve and valvule papery.
