Description
Annual, erect, non-stoloniferous, 50– 80 cm tall herbs. Culms glabrous,
smooth with shorter internodes towards base, longer above, lower nodes
never rooting. Leaves disticous, markedly striate, 10–17 cm long, flat,
narrowly linear, base rounded or subcordate; venation parallel, midrib
prominent, minutely puberulous, margins beset with markedly bulbous
bristles or cilia, upto almost 1/3 of length, leaf-sheath tightly
enclosing the internode, glabrous, ligule small, reduced, memberanous,
hyaline, bearing bearded of hairs. Peduncle 20–40 cm long, terete,
bearded at curved apex. Inflorescence a solitary, linear spikes, 2-3 cm
long, hairy at base, pedicel ca 0.5 mm. Spikelets on one side of rachis,
hairy at base, projected into a narrow bare subulate tip; spikelets ca 3
mm long, densely crowded at base with 2-unequl, persistent glumes, green
turning brown at maturity. Lower glume ovate, acute when flattened,
1.5– 2.7 mm long, strongly compressed, hayline except from the green
keel-nerve which is scabrid. Upper glume elliptic-ovate, ± 2 mm long,
hyaline, keel-nerve scabrid that prolonged into an awn. Lemma ovate to
broadly ovate lanceolate when flattened, 2.5–3 mm long, acute,
terminate into slightly curved awn. Paleas ovate, 2-keeled, keel
narrowly or broadly winged, 2–2.5 mm long, ciliate. Stamens 3, anthers
bithecous, 3–4 × 1.6–2.7 mm long, yellow. Ovary superior with single
locule; style-arms 2, stigma feathery. Caryopsis obovate-globose, or
dome shaped ca 1-1.5 mm across, rugose, light brown or reddish brown.