Annual. Culms tufted, wiry, erect or geniculate, 15–60 cm tall, sparingly branched, glabrous. Leaves mainly basal; leaf sheaths lightly keeled, glabrous or a few hairs at mouth; leaf blades linear, usually folded, 4–8 × 0.1–0.2 cm, glabrous, apex acute or subacute; ligule 0.2–0.5 mm. Raceme 4–8 cm, enclosed at base by spatheole; rachis internodes and pedicels columnar, broadened distally, slightly shorter than sessile spikelet, a dense band of white ca. 3 mm hairs from lower part of one margin slanting obliquely across upper part of internode, then transversely across apex to top of other margin, pedicel often similarly obliquely bearded. Sessile spikelet 6–7 mm; lower glume linear-lanceolate, 2-keeled throughout, subleathery and white-villous below middle, membranous and glabrous above, keels winged for most of length but broadest on membranous part, apex narrow, keels minutely extended; upper lemma 2-lobed to near base; awn 1–1.5 cm. Pedicelled spikelet reduced to 1 or 2 glumes, 1.5–3.5 mm, ciliate on both margins, lower glume with ca. 3 mm awn. Fl. and fr. Aug–Dec.
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