Rambling perennial; culms up to about 3 m long, rooting from the lower nodes. Leaf-blades flat, 5-25 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, attenuate at the tip. False panicle linear, interrupted, 3.40 cm long; spatheole narrowly ovate in side view, 3.5-10 mm long, acuminate. Sessile spikelet 2-6 mm long; lower glume narrowly elliptic-lanceolate; upper lemma deeply bifid with an awn 4-12 mm long or entire to emarginate and awnless. Pedicelled spikelets broadly lanceolate, the larger 2-5 mm long; pedicels narrowly oblong, 24 mm long.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: August-November.

Type locality: India.

Distribution: Pakistan (Sind, Punjab, N.W.F.P. & Kashmir); Arabia and Socotra; throughout tropical Asia and in Australia and New Caledonia.

This is considered to be a fairly good fodder grass and is readily eaten by cattle when young. It is very common in the plains and at low elevation in the Himalayas. In hedges and bushy places it usually assumes a climbing habit. It often constitutes a large part of the undergrowth in forests.