Loosely tufted, yellow-green, very short-lived, free-seeding annual, to 25 cm tall; shoots intravaginal; laminae persistent. Sheaths very pale green to light brown, hyaline, smooth, keeled; ligule 0.5- 3 mm long, entire, smooth, and rounded or tapering at top, elsewhere smooth; lamina 1-5 cm × 1.5- 4 mm, flat or folded, thin, smooth, margins sparsely and minutely scabrous, tip rounded to blunt point. Culms 0.5-20 cm long, erect, spreading or prostrate, smooth. Panicle 0.5-6 cm long, lax, erect, with very fine, smooth branchlets erect to spreading after anthesis. Spikelets 3-5 mm long, with 2-5 rather distant florets, light green. Glumes subequal to unequal, smooth and glabrous; lower glume 1- 2 mm long, 1-nerved, elliptic, subobtuse, upper 1.5- 2.5 mm long, 3-nerved, ovate-oblong, obtuse. Lemma 2-2.5 mm long, 5-nerved, ovate-oblong, strongly silky-hairy on nerves for more than ½ length, nerves smooth above hairs, internerves glabrous and smooth, often purplish on hyaline band across obtuse tip, margins hyaline. Palea 2-2.5 mm long, equalling lemma, glabrous between strongly ciliate, often purplish keels. Lodicules c. 0.2 mm long. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm long, smooth, projection much shorter. Anthers (0.1)- 0.2-0.4 mm long. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm, tightly enclosed by lemma and palea.

Loosely tufted, yellow-green, very short-lived, free-seeding annual, to 25 cm; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath very pale green to light brown, hyaline, glabrous, keeled. Ligule 0.5-3 mm, entire, rounded or tapering, glabrous throughout. Leaf-blade 1-5 cm × 1.5-4 mm, flat or folded, thin, glabrous; margins sparsely and minutely scabrid, tip rounded to blunt point. Culm 0.5-20 cm, erect, spreading or prostrate, internodes glabrous. Panicle 0.5-6 cm, lax, erect, with very fine, glabrous branches spreading after anthesis. Spikelets 3-5 mm, with 2-5 rather distant florets, light green. Glumes subequal to unequal, glabrous; lower 1-2 mm, 1-nerved, elliptic, subobtuse, upper 1.5-2.5 mm, 3-nerved, ovate-oblong, obtuse. Lemma 2-2.5 mm, 5-nerved, ovate-oblong, obtuse, strongly silky haired on nerves for more than ½ length, nerves glabrous above hairs, internerves glabrous, often purplish on hyaline band at tip; margins hyaline. Palea 2-2.5 mm, = lemma, keels strongly ciliate, often purplish, interkeel glabrous. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation minute. Lodicules c. 0.2 mm. Anthers (0.1)-0.2-0.4 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm, tightly enclosed by lemma and palea.