Tufted annual or short-lived perennial, culms decumbent, geniculately ascending, or, rarely, erect, occasionally rooting at lower nodes, to 60 cm long. Leaves glabrous, virtually smooth; blade to 15 cm long and 1–3(–5) mm wide; ligule obtuse to acute, membranous, 1–5 mm long. Inflorescence a spike-like panicle, 2–6 cm long, 3–6 mm wide; glumes 1.5–3.5 mm long, obtuse, hyaline at apex, connate only at base, hairy along keel only or with short scattered hairs along sides; lemma subequal to or shortly exceeding glumes, obtuse, glabrous, shining brown at maturity, margins united for a third to half their length; awn 1–2 mm long, straight, inserted in the upper half of the lemma, exceeding glumes by up to 1 mm if at all; palea absent. Anthers 0.6–1.5 mm long. Flowers Sep.–Mar.