Annual; culms slender, 5-30 cm long, usually trailing. Leaf-blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1-4 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, delicate, flaccid. Inflorescence of 2-9 racemes, each 1-2 cm long; internodes long-ciliate, the hairs attaining 1-2 mm towards the summit. Sessile spikelet linear, 2-3(-5) mm long; lower glume membranous, strongly convex on the back, scaberulous; upper glume produced into a fine bristle 0.5-1.5 mm long; awn 6-10 mm long; anthers 2, 0.3-0.6 mm long. Pedicelled spikelet lanceolate, 1 -2(-3) mm long, rarely quite suppressed.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: July-October.

Type: Nepal (LE).

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab, N.W.F.P., Gilgit & Kashmir); Mali to Mozambique; through Arabia and India, to China and Indonesia.

Arthraxon lancifolius has been confused in the past with Arthraxon microphyllus (Trin.) Hochst. (Arthraxon sikkimensis Bor) a species now recognised as confined to the Himalayas in Nepal, Sikkim and Assam (See Jain in Indian Forester 97: 220-222. 1971).