Densely tufted perennial, 0.3-1.3 m high; basal sheaths keeled, flattened, distichous, shining; culms branched, yellowish with reddish tinge. Leaf blade reddish; ligule a minutely fringed membrane. Inflorescence subdigitate, of 4-20 racemes per spathe, (30-)60-150 mm long, dark purple-tinged; pedicels and internodes filiform, hairy on margins; spikelets paired: one sessile, the other pedicelled. Sessile spikelet 5-7 mm long; lower glume with a shallow groove or ± flat, awnless, glabrous; upper glume concave on back. Florets 2; lower floret sterile, lemma hyaline, 2-nerved, awnless; upper floret bisexual, lemma lobed to middle, awned from sinus, awn 10-15 mm long, geniculate, conspicuous with a glabrous or hairy twisted column, sometimes entire and awnless; callus obtuse, short, inserted in a membranous-edged socket, with hairs inside. Pedicellate spikelet 3.5-4.5 mm long, shortly mucronate, male. Flowering time Oct.-Apr.
Perennial; up to 1.3 m high; densely tufted. Leaf blades up to 150-500 x 6 mm; basal leaf sheaths keeled; flattened; yellow; becoming brown; shining. Flowers: inflorescence subdigitate; 1 or 2 flowering branches per culm; spike-like; racemes 4-20 per spathe; (30-)60-150 mm long; dark purple; with short hairs; pedicels rounded; slightly clavate; spikelets sessile or pedicellate; 5-7 x (0.7-)0.9-1.2 mm; callus of sessile spikelets inserted in a membranous-edged socket; lower glume of pedicellate spikelet not ribbed; central nerve prominent; 2 or 3 slender lateral nerves widely spaced; lemma awn 10-15 mm long.
Perennial, densely tufted, up to 1.3 m high. Leaf blades 150-500 mm long, up to 6 mm wide. Basal sheaths keeled, flattened, yellow, becoming brown, shining. Spikelets (sessile and pedicellate) 5-7 mm long, (0.7-)0.9-l,2 mm wide. Inflorescence of 1 or 2 flowering branches per culm, racemes 4-20 per spathe, (30-)60-150 mm long, dark purple, with short hairs, pedicels rounded, slightly clavate; callus of sessile spikelets inserted in a membranous-edged socket, lower glume deeply but broadly grooved. Lemma awn 10-15 mm long.
Leaves glabrous except at the summit of the sheath; basal sheaths laterally compressed and keeled, distichous and shining; ligule a short (c. 1.5 mm) minutely fringed membrane; laminas 15–25 cm × c. 3 mm wide, folded and keeled, smooth on the margins, tapering to a very fine point at the apex.
Racemes up to 10 in subdigitate groups, 9–10 cm long, slender, flexuous, sparsely pubescent, exserted from the spatheoles, dark red; peduncles longer than the racemes; internodes and pedicels filiform, ciliate on both margins, the internodes shorter than the sessile spikelets.
Sessile spikelet 4.5–5 mm long; inferior glume with a shallow median groove or ± flat, with marginal hairs towards the apex; superior glume concave on the back; superior lemma bifid to the middle; awn geniculate, 9–10 mm long; anthers c. 1.5 mm long, straw-coloured.
Perennial to 1.2 m. Leaves linear. Spikelets in 4-20 narrow racemes per spathe, purple, shortly hairy, paired, sessile spikelet awned.
Caespitose perennial; culms up to 110 cm high, erect, branched with slender internodes, yellowish with reddish tinge.
Pedicelled spikelet male, 3.5–4.5 mm long, shortly mucronate.