Annual, 3-27 cm, forming small tufts. Stem 0.5-2 mm diam., sharply trigonous, smooth. Leaves from half to slightly shorter than stem; sheaths up to 50 mm, lowest blade-less, greenish grey, yellowish or often slightly brownish, soft, mouth margin wide, slightly concave; blades up to 16 cm, 2.5 mm wide, flat or folded, keeled, margins slightly revolute, smooth, apex acute, scabrous. Inflorescence a simple anthelodium, to 10 cm, or single cluster of spikes, primary branches 0-4, up to 85 mm, tubular prophyll up to 8 mm; lowest 3-5 bracts foliose, 3-20 cm; cluster of spikes 10-20 cm, with 3-9 digitately arranged spikes; spikes 8-20 x c. 4 mm, compressed, ovoid or elongate ellipsoid, green to yellowish brown, glume-like bract c. 2.7 mm, acute, glume-like prophyll c. 1.7 mm, blunt; rachis compressed, c. 0.7 mm wide, narrowly winged, grey, brown-dotted, internodes 0.5-1 mm; glumes c. 4 mm, arista 0.5-0.7 mm, sides with several prominent nerves, grey, brown-dotted, margins scarious. Stamens 2-3; stigmas 3. Nut 1.5-1.7 x c. 1.2 mm, obovoid, plano-convex, rather sharply trigonous, yellowish brown, smooth.