Rambling perennial, extensively rooting at the lower nodes; culms mostly 60-120 cm long. Leaf-blades broadly linear to narrowly lanceolate, thin, 5-15 cm long, 5-15 mm wide. Inflorescence composed of 3-20 subdigitate racemes, each 3-10 cm long; internodes linear, slightly widening upwards, shorter than the sessile spikelets, ciliate in two rows. Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 2.5-4 mm long; lower glume with a V-shaped median groove, usually scaberulous on the back, bearded with white or purplish hairs about the callus, stiffly ciliate towards the apex; upper glume strongly keeled, the keel thrust between internode and pedicel, commonly with a short awn-point 0.5-2 mm long; lower floret absent, or represented by a little oblong scale; upper lemma minute, 0.5 mm long, cordate, with an awn 6-12 mm long; palea an almost square hyaline scale; anthers 3, each 1-1.5 mm long.