Lax, slender tufts 6.5-30-(60) cm, with delicate panicles equalling or overtopping the usually soft flaccid leaves; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath membranous, light green to light brown; lower sheaths often with minute retrorse prickle-teeth or hairs, upper sheaths glabrous. Ligule 0.8-2 mm, truncate to ± obtuse, slightly erose, abaxially finely scabrid. Leaf-blade 2-8 cm × 0.5-1.5-(3) mm, flat, or folded and inrolled at margins, abaxially smooth, or sometimes scabrid, especially towards tip and on uppermost culm-leaves, adaxially ciliate-scabrid on ribs; margins sparsely scabrid, occasionally almost smooth, tip acute, scabrid. Culm usually geniculate at base or erect, internodes glabrous. Panicle (2)-4.5-8.5-(16) cm, ovate-lanceolate to pyramidal with filiform branches naked below and spreading widely at maturity; rachis, branches and pedicels sparsely scabrid. Spikelets c. 2-2.5-(3) mm, purplish green. Glumes subequal, acute, with greenish central portion and wide, colourless to purplish margins scabrid near tip; lower narrow-lanceolate, keel scabrid in upper ⅔, upper ovate-lanceolate, keel scabrid in upper ⅓ to ½. Lemma 1.4-2-(2.2) mm, glabrous, 5-nerved, ovate-oblong, truncate, ± denticulate, awnless or with delicate awn 1-3 mm, inserted at c. midpoint to c. upper ⅓ of lemma. Palea 0.3-0.6 mm, orbicular. Lodicules 0.3-0.6 mm, = or usually > palea. Callus with tufts of minute hairs. Anthers 0.4-0.7-(0.9) mm. Caryopsis 1-1.5 × 0.4-0.6 mm. 2n= 42.
Home