Widely creeping stoloniferous perennial without rhizomes. Culms slender, 20-80 cm high. Leaf-blades linear-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 4-15 cm long, 3-6(10) mm wide, glaucous, scaberulous, sparsely hairy at the base, auricles and orifices glabrous or pilose; ligule membranous, ciliolate on the upper edge, about 0.5 mm long. Racemes usually 4-8, 5-10 cm long, thin, flexuous, slightly drooping, in a single whorl. Spikelets 1.8-2.2 mm long; glumes lanceolate, 1-nerved; lemma pubescent on the keel and lateral nerves often with pointed clavate hairs; palea glabrous, keels smooth or rarely scaberulous; anthers about 0.5 mm long; caryopsis unequally trigonous and laterally compressed.

Type locality: Luzon, Philippines.

Distribution: Pakistan (Sind & Punjab); Madagascar; southern India to southeast Asia and northern Australia.

This species is badly undercollected and is easily confused with Cynodon dactylon from which it differs mainly by the absence of rhizomes. According to DeWet & Harlan, Cynodon arcuatus is a tetraploid and thus genetically isolated from other species of Cynodon.