Loosely tufted annual; culms up to 112 cm high, slender, usually straggling and ascending from a decumbent base, often rooting at the lower nodes. Leaves glandular especially on the sheaths; leaf-blades 4.5-28 cm long, 4-8 mm wide, finely pointed. Inflorescence 8-34 cm long, linear or elliptic-oblong to pyramidal; spikes 0.6-5(7) cm long, stiff, ascending at first, reflexing and deciduous at maturity. Spikelets 1-3-flowered, narrowly wedge-shaped, 5.7-9 mm long, closely over-lapping on the flattened, narrowly green-winged rhachis; glumes narrowly elliptic with caudate curving tips, 6.1-8.2 mm long, coriaceous, asymmetric, usually over-lapping on the abaxial side and obscuring the florets, glandular along the keel; lemmas narrowly ovate, 2.1-2.9 mm long, appressed pilose along the lateral nerves and on the lower half of the back around the central nerve, acute to emarginate, mucronulate; palea appressed pilose on the flaps alongside the keels.

Fl. & Fr. Per. May-October.

Type: India, La Mark (C).

Distribution: Pakistan (N.W.F.P.); South Africa, through tropical Africa to Egypt; Iraq to India.

Duthie does not rate this species very highly as a fodder grass but in Sind it is said to be a favourite food of buffaloes. It is a very common weed of cultivation.