Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. Culms 40-90 cm, erect, geniculate. Lower sheaths densely villous; upper sheaths with scattered papillose-based hairs; ligules 1.5-3 mm; blades 4-7(12) cm long, 3-5 mm wide, villous to nearly glabrous, usually sparsely hairy near the ligules. Panicles simple, 10-18 cm, open; branches divergent; pedicels 0.4-3 mm, divergent, spikelets solitary. Spikelets 2-2.5 mm, elliptical, apiculate. Lower glumes absent or to 0.2 mm; upper glumes absent or to 0.6 mm, veinless; lower lemmas as long as the spikelets, 5-veined, margins and intercostal regions more or less pubescent; upper lemmas minutely rugose, dark brown. 2n = 36.

A native of southern India and Ceylon, Digitaria tomentosa is a noxious weed that is not known to occur in the Flora region. It is included here to help ensure that any introduction is correctly identified.