Slender annual or ephemeral plants (2.5–) 11–23 (–46) cm high. Culms branched, smooth, glabrous; nodes 2–3, bearded or glabrous. Leaves mainly basal, hispid with tubercle-based hairs; sheath similar to blade in length; blade 15 cm long. Panicles open, 1.5–3 (–6) cm long, 1–3 cm wide, often sparse with 2–5 spikelets. Glumes 4–6 mm long, muticous, (7–) 9–11-nerved, hispid with tuberclebased hairs between nerves or glabrous and smooth. Florets equal to glumes. Callus entirely bearded. Lemma 3.3–5 mm long, awned, membranous to cartilaginous, 5 (–7)-nerved (obscure towards base), without grooves, hirsute in lower 1/2–2/3 with tubercle-based hairs reaching (or sometimes almost reaching) lemma apex, glabrous and smooth above, ciliate on margins in lower 2/3–3/4; awn 1–3.5 mm long. Palea to 5 mm long, entire or bifid into cusps 0.5 mm long, with a central basal tuft of hairs, glabrous above; flap margins sometimes sparsely ciliate. Caryopsis 1.8–2.6 mm long.
Grows on stony, skeletal slopes on sandstone,saltpans, lateritic plains, and sandy soils on seepage slopes and waterholebanks.
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