Annual; culms 5-30 cm high, fastigiately branching. Leaf–blades 1–15 cm long 1–2 mm wide. Racemes 2-6 cm long, embraced below by a reddish spathe, gathered into fascicles; internodes bearded towards the tip. Sessile spikelet lanceolate; callus obconical, 1 mm long; lower glume 5–6 mm long, glabrous to villous on the back, sprouting tufts of hair from teeth along the margins, divided at the tip into 2 flattened tails 4–6 mm long. Pedicelled spikelet narrowly lanceolate 6-10 mm long, caudate–acuminate to a subuliform tip.