Narrowly tufted annuals, bright green, usually with few branches at base, usually 20-40-(100) cm. Leaf-sheath light green or purplish, submembranous, rounded, to slightly keeled above, smooth apart from minutely scabrid ribs below collar; margins ciliate, hairs tubercle-based. Ligule ciliate, hairs 0.6-1.5 mm. Leaf-blade 3-15 cm × 2-12 mm, flat, soft, linear-lanceolate, tapered to fine tip, adaxially often with scattered long hairs, ribs and margins minutely scabrid. Culm 15-30-(100) cm, internodes ridged, scabrid above on ridges. Panicle 3.5-8.5-(11) cm × 5-15 mm, often drooping, ± cylindric, with light green to purplish, rather loosely, often irregularly clustered spikelets; rachis hispidulous-scabrid on ridges with very short, minutely scabrid branches bearing shortly pedicelled spikelets, each spikelet subtended by 1-2-(3) retrorsely scabrid bristles (2.5-5.5 mm). Spikelets 2-2.4 mm, falling entire at maturity. Lower glume 1-3-nerved, c. 1 mm, upper 5-7-nerved, ≈ spikelet, almost covering upper floret at maturity. Lower floret: lemma 5-7-nerved; palea hyaline, nerveless, to ½ length of lemma. Upper floret: lemma = spikelet, elliptic-oblong, subacute, pale cream, convex, thinly crustaceous, finely rugose; palea of same texture as lemma, keels not thickened, interkeel flat; anthers 0.6-0.9 mm; caryopsis c. 1.5 mm.