Tufted annual; culms 15-85 cm high, erect or geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades usually folded, 5-35 cm long, 2.5-6 mm wide. Inflorescence digitate, composed of 1-10(17) slender ascending spikes 3.5-15 cm long, a few spikes often set below the main apical cluster. Spikelets 3-9-flowered, elliptic, 4.6-7.8 mm long; lower glume 1.1-3.2(3.9) mm long. upper glume 1.8-4.7 mm long; lemmas lanceolate, 2.4-4.8 mm long, acute to subacute.