Culms erect or decumbent, usually branched at base, 5–25 cm tall, scabrid or puberulous below inflorescence. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades flat or involute, 0.5–6 × ca. 0.15 cm, glabrous or adaxial surface hirsute, abaxial surface pilose; ligule very short, margin ciliate. Inflorescence spikelike, 2–7 × 0.3–0.5 cm; racemes solitary, rather spaced, strictly distichous, spikelets also distichous on the raceme rachis. Spikelets 2–4 mm, florets (2–)4–8; glumes ovate, laxly ciliate or nearly glabrous; lower glume 1–2 mm; upper glume 1.5–2.5 mm; lemmas ovate, lowest 1.5–3 mm, 5–9-veined, margins membranous and ciliate, apex cuspidate; palea equal to lemma, keels ciliolate, apex truncate or emarginate. Anthers ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.

Aeluropus pungens differs from typical A. littoralis by its somewhat shorter lemmas with membranous, ciliate margins.

Sandy places on alkaline soils, desert sands. Gansu, Xinjiang [India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe].