Annuals. Flowering culms 6–40 cm high. Leaves: basal sheaths glabrous or pilose near orifice; blade 0.7–3 mm wide, glabrous or adaxially pilose. Inflorescences: rachis glabrous or sparsely pilose; branches 1.4–2 cm long, usually touching, appressed uniformly to axis or erect to divaricate. Spikelets spreading, overlapping, linear or oblong or obovate (at length open-mouthed upwards, or obtriangular with awns), with l:w greater than 3, 5–11.7 mm long, 1–1.5 (–2.3) mm wide, 5–11-flowered, with 2–5 (–6) loosely overlapping bisexual florets. Glumes: lower glume 1.7–2.3 mm long; upper glume 2.4–3.6 mm long. Basal lemma oblong to lanceolate, with back straight or very slightly concave in profile, 2.1–4.2 (–5.6) mm long, entire, awned, similar in firmness to or decidedly firmer than the glumes, membranous or coriaceous, 3 (–7)-nerved, scabrous or scaberulous, glabrous; midnerve scabrous. Upper bisexual lemmas becoming narrower acropetally, sometimes concave in profile, lanceolate from second, with awns usually longer acropetally. Palea 1/2–2/3 length of lemma body; body scaberulous, glabrous; keels rigidly ciliate. Distal incomplete florets with narrower lemmas, with longer awns relative to lemma body.
Usually on heavier textured soils than other Ectrosia species, in or beside watercourses and gilgais, oftenwith Melaleuca sp., but also in sand.
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