Perennial, stoloniferous. Culms branching and rooting at lower nodes, 50–100 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous to papillose-pilose; leaf blades broadly linear, 5–15 × 0.3–0.6 cm, glabrous to papillose-pilose on both surfaces; ligule 1–2 mm. Inflorescence digitate; racemes 2–4, stiffly ascending to divaricate, 5–15(–20) cm, the longer sparsely spiculate at base; spikelets paired, not imbricate, appressed and appearing slightly sunken; rachis triquetrous, thick, scarcely winged. Spikelets lanceolate, 3.5–4.5(–6) mm, those of a pair different, lower spikelet glabrous, upper spikelet villous; lower glume very small, veinless; upper glume lanceolate, 1/2 as long as to equaling spikelet, 3–5-veined; lower lemma as long as spikelet, closely 7–11-veined, veins equidistant, thick, prominent, interspaces slitlike; upper spikelet with rows of silky hairs, usually also setose, the hairs spreading halo-like at maturity; upper lemma pallid, acuminate. Fl. and fr. Jun–Oct. 2n = 36, 72.
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