Culms to 150 cm high. Leaves scattered along culms; blade to 40 cm long, 3–12 mm wide, with nerves prominent. Panicles to 30 cm long. Spikelets 20–25 mm long, with 2 or 3 bisexual florets; rachilla not disarticulating between florets. Glumes about equalling florets, 14–24 mm long, 5–9-nerved. Lemma lanceolate, 16–26 mm long (including terminal bristles), bifid with lobes ending in bristles 5–10 mm long, 1-awned, glabrous or silky at point of awn insertion or near callus; awn 20–35 mm long, arising c. 1/3 lemma length from base, almost straight or bent once below middle, with column twisted. Palea c. 2/3 length of lemma, tough; keels ciliate with 1 or 2 rows of hairs.
An annual grass. It has a waxy covering. It grows 1.2 m high. The spikelets have prickly points. Seeds are very small. They are 3-4 mm long.