Tufted glabrous annual or perennial, culms erect, to 30 cm high. Leaf-blades flat (to 2 mm wide) or narrowly inrolled and almost filiform, 3–10 cm long; ligules acute or obtuse and toothed, 2–3 mm long. Inflorescence a contracted panicle 1–8 cm long, often spike-like at anthesis, finally the branches somewhat spreading. Spikelets 2–3.5 mm long, often purplish; glumes subequal or the lower slightly longer, keeled, smooth or scabrous along the keels; lemma two-thirds to almost as long as spikelet, glabrous, awnless or with a delicate, subterminal awn to c. 1 mm long; palea absent or minute (less than one-third as long as lemma); anthers mostly 0.6–0.8(–1.2) mm long. Flowers Dec.–Feb.