Annual or short-lived perennial, loosely tufted, with erect or ascending 4-6-noded culms up to 60 cm high; nodes not prominent. Leaf-blades 5-20 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, tapering; sheaths loosely flabellate at the base of the culm. Spikes exserted, solitary or paired and divergent, 3-7 cm long. Spikelets 4-6 (-8)-flowered, the lower 3-5 florets fertile and awned; glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute, acuminate or rarely aristate, the lower 3-5.5 mm long, the upper 4-6.5 mm long; lowest lemma obovate, 4-6.5 mm long, shortly ciliate along the nerves or subglabrous, with an awn 3-15 mm long; upper 1-2 florets sterile and reduced to minute awnless lemmas. Grain of lowest floret oblong.

Fl. & Fr. Per. April-June.

Type: India, Roxburgh painting 2022 (K).

Distribution: Pakistan (Sind & Punjab); tropical Africa eastwards to India and southwards to Rhodesia and Angola.

This grass is found in desert areas and sometimes on limestone. It is considered to be a good fodder grass.