Plants annual. Culms (2)6-16 cm. Ligules 0.5-1.5 mm, of hairs;blades 4-6 cm long, 0.5-2 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, adaxial surfaces sparsely to densely pubescent. Panicles (1)2-3.5 cm. Spikelets 5-7 mm. Lower glumes 4.2-6.2 mm, equaling or exceeding the distal florets; upper glumes 4-6 mm; lemmas 1.8-2.6 mm, with dense, spreading pubescence between the veins, lobes longer than wide, acute to acuminate; paleas 1.5-2.2 mm, shorter than the lemmas; anthers 0.2-0.5 mm. Caryopses 0.5-0.8 mm. 2n = 12.
Schismus arabicus is native to southwestern Asia, but it is now established in the southwestern United States, growing in open and disturbed sites.