Plants tufted perennials, often rhizomatous. Culms 120-300 cm tall, erect, herbaceous, solid, very tough. Leaves: basal sheaths glabrous; ligules 0.4-1 mm long. ciliolate, entire; blades 13-22 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, usually flat. Inflorescences subdigitate or appearing digitate, open or dense, central axes 3-13 cm long, 2-11(-13) cm wide; branches 2-13 cm long, longer than central axes, erect or spreading. Spikelets overlapping, 2.5-4(-5) mm long, laterally compressed or subterete, with (3-)5-7(-9) florets, 2-8 fertile. Glumes unequal in length; lower glumes narowly ovate to elliptic, 1.1-1.3 mm long; upper glumes 1.5-1.8 mm long, acute or obtuse, aristulate, backs obtusely carinate or rounded, glabrous; paleas acute. Caryopses dorsally flattened, usually not quite evenly thin, trigonous ir oblate in cross-section.
Leptochloa digitata is endemic to Australia but is widely distributed in that country, mostly growing in arid and semi-arid regions but extending into higher rainfall areas in Queensland and New South Wales.