Annual, caespitose. Culms 25–42 cm high. Leaves: basal sheaths papillose to scabrous; blade 3.6–6.5 cm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, adaxially scabrous to puberulous, abaxially scabrous. Panicles erect to spreading, open, 2.5–14 cm long; primary branches weakly spreading to divaricate. Spikelets erect, obovate, 20–35 mm long, with 4–10 bisexual florets; pedicel (5–) 10–20 mm long. Glumes subequal, with midnerve scabrous and intercostal regions glabrous; lower glume 6–10 mm long, keeled, 1-nerved; upper glume 8–15 mm long, slightly keeled to dorsally rounded, 3-nerved. Callus blunt, glabrous to scabrous. Basal lemma 12–19 mm long, ±dorsally rounded, 7-nerved; nerves scabrous; intercostal regions papillose; awn dorsal, arising 2–3 mm below lemma tip, 10–22 mm long, straight, entered by 3 nerves (lateral nerves obscure). Palea slightly shorter than lemma, papillose. Anthers 1 mm long.
Annual. Culms loosely tufted, simple, erect or geniculately ascending, 40–60 cm tall, glabrous. Leaf sheaths hairy, at least the lower; leaf blades linear-lanceolate, flat, ca. 20 cm × 2–4 mm, glabrous or pubescent, margins scabrid, apex acuminate; ligule 1.5–4 mm. Panicle dense or slightly lax, erect, 4–15 × 2–6 cm; branches 2–3 per node, 1–3 cm, hairy, sometimes branched. Spikelets oblong, flabellate at maturity, 35–60 mm, florets 6–13, lax; lower glume subulate, 6–11 mm, 1-veined, upper glume linear-lanceolate, 10–16 mm, 3-veined; lemmas oblong, 12–19 × 3–3.5 mm in side view, 7-veined, glabrous or pubescent, margins inrolled, apex acuminate, 2-toothed; awn 12–18 mm, straight or weakly recurved; palea shorter than lemma. Stamens 2, anthers ca. 1 mm. Fl. May–Aug. 2n = 14, 28.
Tufted slender annual 120-350(-600) mm high. Leaf blade 80-200 x 2-5 mm. Inflorescence contracted and dense to open, branching visible; lower branches with 1-2 spikelets, pedicels and branches shorter than spikelets, straight, robust; culm glabrous or minutely hairy below inflorescence. Spikelet 10-25(60) (including awns) x 4-5 mm, moderately laterally compressed; becoming wedge-shaped with age, hairy; lower glume 1-nerved; upper glume 14-20 mm long, 3-nerved; lemma 12-15(20) mm long, rounded on back, hairy, margins hyaline, apex distinctly bifid, acuminate, awned from well below apex; awn 15-20 mm long erect to recurved; palea ciliate on keels, glabrous between keels; callus scar circular; anthers 0.5-1.0 mm long.