Native, cool season to yearlong green, perennial, tufted grass to 1.3 m tall. Leaf sheaths are ribbed; blades are linear, 1.5–3.5 mm wide, hairless to rough to touch and the upper surface is deeply ribbed. Ligules are 10-20 mm long membranes. Flowerheads are slender, erect to drooping panicles 20-50 cm long. Spikelets are 4-6-flowered and 10-16 mm long (excluding awns). Each floret has a 12-22 mm long awn which arises from the top 40–60% of the lemma; the awn is straight when young, but becomes bent and twisted with maturity. Flowering is mostly in spring, but can ocur any time in response to rain or flooding. Mostly found on the banks of rivers, drains and dams; usually where trees are sparse or absent. Native biodiversity. Rarely abundant and tends to occur in small localised patches, so rarely important for livestock.