Freely branching annual; culms slender, erect or geniculate-spreading, glabrous, the nodes often appressed-pilose, 25-80 cm. high; sheaths compressed, keeled, glabrous to pilose, the margins papillose-ciliate; ligule densely ciliate, about 1 mm. long; blades 5-15 cm. long, 4-10 mm. wide, acuminate, tapering to a narrow base, scabrous and more or less pilose; panicles dense, spike-like, cylindrical, green or often purple, sometimes interrupted at the base, 3-8 cm. long, the axis scabrous or pubescent and also long-pilose, the branches very short; bristles at least partly retrorsely scabrous, especially at the tip, 3-6 mm. long, 1-3 below each spikelet; spikelets 1.5-1.7 mm. long, rather turgid; first glume about half as long as the spikelet, broad, acute or subobtuse, 3-nerved; second glume and sterile lemma nearly equal, 5-nerved, covering the fruit; fruit strongly plano-convex or sub-hemispheric, transversely rugose.
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