Tufted annual, culms ascending to erect, 2–15(–30) cm high. Leaf-blades flat or incurved, scabrous, to 5 cm long and 4 mm wide; sheaths smooth or scabrous, often inflated; ligules membranous, obtuse, c. 2–5 mm long. Inflorescence a dense, narrowly ovate to oblong panicle, 1–5 cm long and 5–12 mm wide, often purple-tinged; glumes narrowly obovate, 1.5–2 mm long (excluding awns), membranous, ciliate, with a few hollow inflated bristles toward the base, apically cleft for c. one-third their length into 2 lobes with a slender awn 3–4(–6) mm long arising from the base of the lobes; lemma ovate, c. half as long as glumes, hyaline, minutely dentate, unawned; palea slightly shorter than lemma. Flowers Sep.–Mar.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, GGr, DunT, WPro. Occurs on coastal sand and sandy saline soils of drier western Victoria.
Victorian populations appear to be referable to var. subspathaceus (Req.) Bonnier & Layens which differs from the typical variety by the elongate callus and the strongly inflated hairs toward the base of the glumes.
