Summer annuals, forming loose, dull green to purplish tufts, ± creeping and rooting at lower nodes. Leaf-sheath submembranous, striate, light green, with few to numerous tubercle-based hairs. Ligule 0.5-1 mm, membranous, glabrous, truncate, erose. Leaf-blade (1.5)-3-6.5 cm × 3-9 mm, soft, narrow-lanceolate, rounded at base, flat, glabrous, or with long fine hairs; margins minutely scabrid, rather abruptly narrowed to acute tip. Culm (15)-20-30-(115) cm, ascending to erect from prostrate base, nodes loosely hairy, internodes glabrous. Racemes (2)-3-6-(8), (3.5)-5-15-(20) cm, slender, digitate or subdigitate, finally spreading; rachis 3-angled, winged, 0.7-1 mm wide, scabrid on angles; pedicels 3-angled, angles scarcely scabrid. Spikelets 2.5-3 mm, in pairs, ovate to oblong-elliptic, subacute, green to purplish, close-set, unequally short-pedicelled. Lower glume 0.2-0.5 mm, a minute ± triangular rim, rarely with a few hairs, upper 1-1.5 mm, to ½ length of spikelet, lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved, membranous, with fine hairs near margins. Lower floret: lemma = spikelet, 7-nerved, nerves minutely scabrid, a band of fine hairs just inside margin; palea minute. Upper floret: lemma = spikelet, grey-brown, firm, glabrous, acute, margins hyaline, enfolding palea; palea similar to lemma in texture but slightly smaller; anthers 0.7-1 mm; stigmas purple or brown; caryopsis 1.5-2 mm, oblong.