Perennial with long stolons. Culms in small tufts along the stolons, compressed, nearly solid, 30–60 cm tall. Leaf sheaths keeled, glabrous or pilose along upper margins and mouth, a line of hairs abaxially at junction with blade; leaf blades lanceolate-linear, thin, 5–20 × 0.5–1 cm, glabrous or papillose-pilose along margins, apex acute. Inflorescence digitate; racemes 2, divaricate, very slender, 6–12 cm; spikelets single, in 2 rows; rachis 0.5–1 mm wide. Spikelets pale yellowish, ovate to suborbicular, 1.5–1.8 mm, abruptly acute; upper glume hyaline, 2-veined with the veins marginal, ciliate along margins with long silky hairs; lower lemma similar but not ciliate; upper lemma pallid at maturity, ovate, as long as spikelet, crustaceous, obscurely striate. Fl. and fr. May–Sep. 2n = 40, 80.

This is a distinctive species, easily recognized by the combination of a stoloniferous habit and an inflorescence composed of a pair of widely spreading racemes with small, pale, fringed spikelets.

Open places in forests, forest margins, mostly on moist soils, sometimes forming a sward. Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Yunnan [tropics and subtropics throughout the world].