Annual; culms tufted, often dense, spreading or prostrate, 10-40 cm. long, rather freely branching at the lower nodes; blades 4-12 cm. long, 2-4 mm. wide, acuminate, pilose on the upper surface; panicles 2-10 cm. long, rather dense, usually purple-tinged, the short stiff branches ascending to spreading, spikelet bearing to the base, often so numerous on the branches that the whole plant appears to be a dense inflorescence; spikelets sessile or nearly so, narrow, 1-3 cm. long, 10-to 30-flowered, solitary or in groups of 2-4, appressed; lemma 5 mm. long, acuminate, gradually narrowed from the base, the lateral nerves double; palea half as long as the lemma, narrow, lunate.
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