Annual; culms up to 30 cm high, geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades up to 6 cm long and 5 mm wide. Inflorescence composed of 2-3 subdigitate racemes; racemes up to 5 cm long, the spikelets ternate on a ribbon-like winged rhachis with triquetrous midrib; pedicels ± terete, scabrid, with cupuliform tip. Spikelets elliptic, 1.8-2 mm long; lower glume 0; upper glume about four-fifths as long as the spikelet, 3-nerved, the nerves anastomosing below the apex, glabrous; lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 5-nerved, the middle 3 nerves close together and parallel, the outer pair marginal, glabrous; fruit ellipsoid, dark purple-brown at maturity.