Each culm has about 5-7 alternate leaves; most of these leaves are located along the lower half of each culm. The medium green leaf blades are up to 2' long and 4.5 mm. across; they are ascending to widely spreading with long slender tips. Each leaf blade is rough along its margins and underside, and slightly indented/keeled along its middle. Near the base of each leaf blade, there are long white hairs on the upper surface, otherwise it is hairless. The leaf sheaths are medium green, hairless, and longitudinally veined. The ligules are ciliate, while the nodes are mostly hidden by the sheaths and insignificant. Each culm terminates in a spike-like panicle about 4-10" long. This narrow panicle is mostly hidden by the uppermost sheath when it is young, but becomes more exposed at maturity. The short branches of the panicle are erect throughout. The individual spikelets of the panicle are 4.5–6.0 mm. long and 1.25 mm. across; they are often organized into groups of 2-3 on the branches, and their pedicels are short. Immature spikelets are white, but they become purplish green and glabrous with age. Each spikelet consists of a pair of glumes, a single lemma, and a palea enclosing the perfect floret. The glumes are unequal in size: the shorter glume is 2.0–3.0 mm. long, while the longer glume is 3.0–4.0 mm. long. The lemma and the palea are about equal in size (4.0–6.0 mm.) and longer than either glume. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-fall. Afterwards, the spikelets become light tan when their grains are ripe; disarticulation is above the glumes. The root system is fibrous.

"The preference is full sun and mesic to dry conditions. Practically any kind of soil is tolerated, including those containing rich loam, clay-loam, sand, or gravelly material. This grass species has excellent drought tolerance because of its C4 metabolism.

jEdible Uses: Unknown

Medicinal Uses: Unknown

Herbal Uses: Unknown