Annual. Culms loosely tufted, erect or geniculately ascending, 30–60 cm tall. Lower leaf sheaths retrorsely pubescent, upper sheaths glabrous; leaf blades linear, 10–20 cm × 4–8 mm, both surfaces pubescent. Panicle lax, spreading, 10–25 × 10–15 cm, often purplish; branches whorled, usually much longer than spikelets, filiform, flexuous, scabrid, each bearing 2–4 nodding spikelets. Spikelets lanceolate, 25–35 mm, florets 6–10, overlapping; glumes unequal, lanceolate, margins membranous, apex acuminate, lower glume 9–11 mm, upper glume 11–14 mm; lemmas oblong-elliptic, 12–15 mm, 7-veined, glabrous or pubescent, margins broad, hyaline, apex 2-toothed, teeth acuminate, 1.5–3 mm, awned from sinus; awn 15–25 mm, base flattened and slightly twisted, recurved at maturity; palea 2/3 as long as lemma, keels ciliate. Anthers 1.2–1.8 mm. Caryopsis lanceolate, 8–10 × ca. 2 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug. 2n = 28.