Annual with fibrous roots. Stems very slender, tufted, compressed, obtusely trigonous, smooth, 30-50 cm by ½-1 mm. Leaves in the lower ¼-1/5 of the stem, ⅓-½ as long as the latter, weak, flat, shortly acuminate to very acute, glabrous above, more or less pubescent beneath and on the pale green sheaths, ½-1½ mm wide; ligule a dense fringe of hairs. Inflorescence compound, very loose, with c. 10-20 spikelets, 8-15 cm long. Involucral bracts erect, pubescent beneath, the lowest somewhat shorter than to about as long as the inflorescence. Primary rays very slender, suberect, compressed, glabrous and smooth, 4-6 cm. Spikelets solitary, long-peduncled, oblong-ovoid, slightly angular, very acute, densely many-flowered, light brown, 6-8 by 2 mm; rachilla very narrowly winged. Glumes spiral, membranous, appressed, ovate, mucronulate, slightly keeled, glabrous, with 3-nerved keel, obsoletely 1-2-nerved sides and scarcely hyaline margins, 2-2½ by 1½ mm. Stamens 2; anthers oblong, ⅓-½ mm. Style slender, flat, not hyaline-margined, slightly dilated at the base, sparsely ciliate at the top, 1 mm; stigmas 2, shorter than the style. Nut biconvex with acutish edges, broadly elliptic or suborbicular, shortly stipitate, umbonulate, finely cancellate by the roundish or transversely elliptic, slightly impressed epidermal cells in 15-18 vertical rows on either face, shining, stramineous or brownish, ¾-4/5 by ⅔ mm.
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