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Glumes keeled, subhyaline, 1-nerved; the inferior usually 5-5.5 mm. long, lanceolate, scaberulous on the keel and laterally towards the apex, usually gradually tapering into a short awn c. 0.8-2 mm. long; the superior c. 6.5-8 mm. long, narrowly lanceolate, usually smooth on the keel, awned or deeply 2-fid at the apex with a c. 1 mm. long awn from the sinus and sometimes with well-developed narrow lateral lobes.
Lemma 3.5-4.5 mm. long, sometimes mottled with purple, glabrous below, scabrous towards the apex; callus c. 1 mm. long, usually subacute, densely barbate; column of the awns c. 2.5 mm. long, twisted, scaberulous; awns 11-25 mm. long, subequal or the central one somewhat longer up to 30 mm., slender, scaberulous, more or less spreading; articulation between the apex of the column and the base of the awns.
Panicle variable in shape and size, usually 15 x 5-10 cm., open, ovate to oblong, with several more or less spreading branches having spikelets congested towards the ends, forming often false spikes; axis erect or flexuous, terete, glabrous, smooth below, more or less subangular, scaberulous in the upper part; branches solitary or 2-nate, distant, scaberulous, naked for 1-6 cm. in the lower part.
Leaf-laminae up to 10(20) cm. long, narrowly linear, conduplicate or convolute, fairly rigid, curved or flexuous, with a rather obtuse apex, with somewhat thickened marginal nerves, scabrous or hispidulous above, glabrous and smooth beneath.
Culms erect or ascending, slender, simple or branched from the lower nodes, somewhat wiry, distinctly compressed, especially below, usually glabrous, sometimes slightly scaberulous, 3-4-noded; nodes glabrous, smooth.
Ligule densely short-ciliolate; auricles usually long-barbate; collar laterally barbate, more or less glabrous on the back.
Leaf-sheaths more or less keeled, tight or lax, glabrous or somewhat scaberulous.
Perennial, 20-65 cm. high, usually glaucous, densely caespitose.
Spikelets greenish, usually tinged with purple.
