Annuals, 9-55-(80) cm, loosely tufted or consisting of a solitary culm. Leaf-sheath densely, shortly pubescent, with some longer soft hairs; upper sheaths sometimes ± glabrous. Ligule 0.4-3.5 mm, lacerate. Leaf-blade 1-14 cm × 1.2-5.5 mm, shortly pubescent but with some longer hairs on margins towards base, tip subacute. Culm 6-35-(65) cm, slender, erect, internodes glabrous or minutely hairy. Panicle 3.5-25 cm, lax or contracted, nodding, secund; branches filiform, flexuous, spreading, short-hairy, lowermost bearing 4-8 spikelets. Spikelets 2.2-3.5 cm, 4-8-flowered, lanceolate to later gaping, light green to purple-suffused. Glumes very unequal, lanceolate, acute, membranous, usually pubescent with minute and longer hairs, or rarely glabrous; lower 6.5-9.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 8.5-12 mm, 3-nerved. Lemma 10-16 mm, 7-nerved, rounded, lanceolate, later wedge-shaped, pubescent or sometimes only slightly scabrid, membranous, with shining hyaline margins tipped by 2 acute lobes, to c. 1 mm; awn 12.5-19 mm. Palea c. ¾ length of lemma, keels ± sparsely ciliate. Callus with extremely minute hairs. Rachilla 2-3 mm, with ± scattered, minute, appressed hairs. Anthers 0.6-0.9 mm. Caryopsis 6-8.5 × 0.9-1.5 mm.