Perennial with stout, woody, many-noded rhizomes and stolons forming a mat. Culms 15–80 cm tall. Leaf sheaths keeled, compressed, glabrous; leaf blades broadly linear, flat or folded, stiffly spreading, 5–30 × 0.3–1 cm, glabrous, apex acuminate; ligule very short. Inflorescence of 2(–3) racemes at culm apex; racemes 4–9(–16) cm, recurved-ascending; spikelets single, in 2 row; rachis 1–1.8 mm wide, scabrous. Spikelets green, ovate to obovate, plumply plano-convex, 2.5–3.5 mm, smooth, shining, obtuse; upper glume cartilaginous, 3-veined, glabrous; lower lemma resembling upper glume but slightly shorter; upper lemma pale green, slightly shorter than spikelet, finely striate, obtuse. Fl. and fr. Sep. 2n = 40, 30.

This species is widely introduced in tropical and warm-temperate regions as a forage grass and also sometimes for erosion control.

Cultivated. Fujian, Gansu, Hebei, Yunnan [native to tropical and subtropical America].