Annual. Culms erect or obliquely ascending, 20–60 cm tall, glabrous. Leaf sheaths pubescent; leaf blades 5–10 cm × 2–4 mm, flat, scattered pubescent. Panicle lax, 5–10 cm, erect or nodding; branches 1 or 2(–5) per node, slender, recurved, glabrous, each bearing 1–3 spikelets; pedicels about as long as or longer than spikelet. Spikelets lanceolate, 10–15(–25) mm, with curved pubescence; rachilla internodes short, not exposed; glumes unequal, lower glume 4–5 mm, upper glume 6–8 mm; lemmas oblong-lanceolate, 7–9 mm, pubescent, margins narrowly membranous, apex deeply 2-toothed, teeth 2–3 mm; awn 5–9 mm, base slightly flattened and twisted, spreading or recurved; palea shorter than lemma. Anthers ca. 1 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–Jul. 2n = 14.