[1] The annual grass-like or herb sedge typically grows to a height of 0.05 to 0.7 metres (0.16 to 2.30 ft) and has a tufted habit.

It has ovate 1 mm (0.039 in) long spirally arranged glumes and yellow anthers.

[1] The species was first formally described by the botanist Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré in 1829 as part of the work Voyage Autour du Monde ... sur les Corvettes de S.M.

[2] It is also found across the top end of the Northern Territory and tropical parts of Queensland.

It is thought to have been introduced into the West Indies as a contaminant late in the nineteenth century and was collected in 1886 in Puerto Rico.