Densely tufted, wiry perennial with leaves drooping above, delicate nodding panicles, and short, creeping rhizome; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath to 15 cm, firm, outer margin usually ciliate. Ligule to 1.5 mm, usually asymmetrical, entire to fimbriate. Leaf-blade to 45 cm × 6 mm, stiff, involute or flat, abaxially shining, minutely scabrid towards filiform tip, adaxially smooth, dull, margins scabrid. Culm to 75 cm, simple, erect to nodding above, internodes smooth, rarely scaberulous below panicle, nodes glabrous. Panicle to 60 cm; branches capillary, spreading, in distant whorls; rachis slender, smooth, rarely scaberulous, branches and pedicels scaberulous. Spikelets laterally subcompressed, pale green to purplish. Glumes subequal, 2.5-3.5 mm, hyaline, acute to acuminate, keel scabrid; lower linear-lanceolate, 1-nerved, upper elliptic-lanceolate, 1-3-nerved. Flower ☿. Lemma 2 mm, 3-nerved, firmly membranous, elliptic-oblong, smooth below, scaberulous above, lobes minute, margins contiguous; awn to 8 mm, fine, scabrid, curved, caducous. Palea < lemma, weakly nerved, glabrous. Callus minute, rounded, ringed by very minute hairs. Lodicules 2, ligulate, glabrous, nerveless, 0.5 mm. Anther 1, 0.8-1.4 mm, apically thickened. Caryopsis c. 1.5 mm, very swollen, protruding from the anthoecium; hilum elliptic, < ½ length of caryopsis. 2n= 40-44. Plate 6D.
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