Rhizomes absent. Culms branching at lower nodes; flowering culms 60–90 cm high, usually much longer than the vegetative ones and recurving to the ground. Leaf blades 5–25 cm long, 3–5.5 mm wide. Inflorescences 12–38 cm long, 0.2–0.45 cm wide. Spikelets subsessile, 10–20 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide (excluding awns), 2–4-flowered, with 1–2 bisexual florets. Glumes: lower glume 4.5–7 (–12) mm long, usually 1-nerved; upper glume (8–) 11–17 mm long, 7–12-nerved. Callus hairs c. 1–2 mm long. Basal lemma linear to lanceolate, obscurely nerved or with lateral nerves prominent above the sinuses, with appressed hairs arising near the base on all costal and intercostal regions or between the lateral nerves; body 6–7.3 mm long; lobes similar in form but midlobe longer, each lobe tapered into an awn or bristle or lateral lobes subulate; midlobe not hooked; lateral lobes c. 0.5 mm wide in midrange, the width gradually decreasing above sinus, without a scarious outer margin. Anthers 0.9–1.2 mm long. Grain reddish brown; hilum elliptic.
In central Australia, A. elymoides sometimes occurs on alluvial soils as well as theusual cracking clay soils, and is associated with A. pectinata, Eragrostis setifolia (Neverfail), and to alesser extent with Acacia cambagei (Gidgee). Elsewhere usuallyfound on treeless downs often subject to seasonal or occasional inundation,with other grasses such as Iseilema spp. (Flinders Grass), Dichanthium spp. (Bluegrass) and other Astrebla spp.
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