Tufted stinking annuals, 12-60 cm, with stiff panicle of large spikelets much overtopping leaves; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath submembranous, strongly ribbed, keeled above, light brown, glabrous, with scattered, sunken glands especially on keel. Ligule ciliate, hairs 0.3-0.7 mm. Collar hairs 1-2.5 mm. Leaf-blade 1.5-15 cm × 2-5.5 mm, flat, somewhat narrowed to subobtuse tip, abaxially glabrous, adaxially very minutely prickle-toothed; margins with prominent warty glands. Culm 10-45 cm, geniculate at base, then erect, internodes glabrous, with ring of glandular tissue below nodes. Panicle 3.5-10.5 × 2-5 cm; branches few, stiff, short, minutely scabrid, bearing large close-set, short-pedicelled spikelets, branches and pedicels often with wart-like glands, branch-axils sometimes with a few short (to 0.5 mm) hairs. Spikelets 3-10 × 2.4-4 mm, (3)-10-20-flowered, minutely scabrid, compressed, ovoid-oblong, shining, grey, sometimes purplish. Glumes c. equal, 1.5-2.2 mm, ovoid, membranous, sometimes with warty glands on midnerve near tip, deciduous at maturity; lower 1-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma 1.6-2.5 mm, distinctly 3-nerved, membranous, ovoid, obtuse, very minutely scabrid near apex and between lateral nerves and margins. Palea < lemma, keels ciliate, apex obtuse, ciliate. Rachilla glabrous, 0.3-0.4 mm. Stamens 3; anthers 0.3-0.5 mm. Caryopsis 0.5-0.7 × 0.4-0.6 mm.