Annual or biennial tufts, (25)-50-150 cm. Leaf-sheath chartaceous, obviously striate, glabrous or very shortly pilose, with short auricles. Ligule 0.5-1.5 mm. Leaf-blade (5)-10-25 × 0.2-2 cm, minutely pubescent-scabrid throughout or abaxially glabrous, tapered above, margins scabrid, tip acute. Culm (20)-40-120 cm, erect, usually villous just below spike or glabrous throughout. Spike (4)-10-30 × 0.7-2 cm; rachis tough, non-disarticulating, flattened, margins densely hairy, longer tufts above overlapping proximate glume bases. Spikelets 2-flowered. Glumes 7-12.5 mm, narrow linear-lanceolate, sparsely scabrid, keel minutely ciliate-scabrid; awns 0.5-5.5 mm. Lemma 10-20 mm, firm, oblong-lanceolate, smooth or rarely minutely sparsely scabrid, keel and outer margin above pectinate-scabrid, inner margin sparsely scabrid above, adaxially finely hairy; awn 1.5-6.5 cm. Palea ≈ lemma, folded, keels with sparse prickle-teeth or smooth. Lodicules 3 mm, entire, long ciliate. Anthers 5-8 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 2 mm; stigma-styles to 4 mm. Caryopsis 6.5-7.5 ×c. 2.5 mm; embryo c. 1.25 mm.