Annual. Culms 30–70 cm tall, pubescent on nodes and below panicle. Leaf sheaths pubescent; leaf blades flat, 10–20 cm × 3–5 mm, pubescent; ligule 2–3 mm, abaxial surface and margin ciliate. Panicle contracted, oblong in outline, erect, ca. 10 × 3–4 cm; branches short, pubescent, each bearing 1–3 erect spikelets. Spikelets lanceolate, 15–25 mm, florets 6–10; glumes unequal, acuminate, lower glume linear-lanceolate, ca. 7 mm, 3-veined, upper glume 5-veined, slightly longer than lower glume; lemmas lanceolate, 9–11 mm, glabrous or pubescent, margins broadly membranous, apex 2-toothed, teeth acute, awned from sinus ca. 1 mm below apex; awn 8–15 mm, straight or slightly divergent; palea ca. 2 mm shorter than lemma. Anthers ca. 1 mm. Caryopsis long elliptic, ca. 5 × ca. 1 mm, pale brown. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul. 2n = 28.