Digitaria insularis is a tufted perennial bunchgrass with very short, swollen rhizomes.

The stems reach a height of 80–130 cm and are erect, branched from the lower and middle nodes, swollen bases, with woolly bracts, glabrous internodes and nodes.

[4] It is a common species found in disturbed areas and on beaches, at an altitude of up to 1,400 m (4,593 ft) above sea level.

In its native Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Venezuela it is a pervasive weed out of its natural habitats.

In some countries into which it has been introduced such as Hawaii and Papua New Guinea, it is considered an invasive species.