Tufts leafy, annual, stout, ± erect, or decumbent at base and rooting at lower nodes, to 80 cm. Leaf-sheath light green or straw-coloured, submembranous, rounded, with numerous, long, fine, conspicuously tubercle-based hairs. Ligule 2-4 mm, membranous, truncate, ciliate. Leaf-blade 10-45 cm × 6-20 mm, thin, ± curved at base, almost glabrous to loosely hairy with long fine tubercle-based hairs, midrib prominent; margins very finely scabrid, often somewhat undulating, narrowed to filiform, scabrid tip. Culm 10-40 cm, nodes usually closely pubescent, internodes glabrous or sometimes softly hairy below lower nodes. Panicle (10)-20-45 cm, contracted and rather dense, or open, nodding, often not fully emergent from upper sheath; rachis and primary branches smooth, branchlets and filiform pedicels finely scabrid on angles. Spikelets 4-5 mm, numerous, glabrous, green to greenish brown, ovate-lanceolate, turgid, apiculate-acuminate. Glumes prominently nerved; lower 3-3.4 mm, ½ to ¾ length of spikelet, ovate, acute, 5-nerved, upper = spikelet, 11-nerved, ovate-lanceolate, tip finely scabrid, mucronate. Lower floret Ø: lemma ≈ spikelet, (11)-13-nerved; palea « lemma, ovate, truncate or emarginate, hyaline, with 2 faint, winged keels. Upper floret ☿, falling readily at maturity: lemma 2.8-3.4 mm, elliptic, subacute to obtuse, crustaceous, obscurely nerved, very turgid and convex, variously coloured white, yellow, red, brown or black, glabrous, shining; palea narrower; anthers 1.6-2.2 mm; caryopsis 2-2.5 × 1.5-2 mm.