Home
Densely caespitose perennial 20–60 cm. high, with thick spongy roots and a tendency to form short rhizomes; culms glabrous, ± compressed below the nodes.. Leaf-blades involute, up to 30 cm. long and 1.5 mm. wide, glabrous to pubescent above or sometimes hirsute around the collar, the lower sometimes relaxing, flattening and curling with age, not forming a dense fibrous tuft.. Panicle 5–20 cm. long, narrow, ± interrupted, the spikelets clustered about the short primary branches whose axils are glabrous.. Spikelets enclosed by narrowly lanceolate, often purplish, glumes; lower glume 4–7 mm. long, two-thirds as long as the upper (rarely almost as long), scaberulous, with or without an awn-point up to 2 mm. long; upper glume 6–9 mm. long, glabrous, minutely bidentate, with or without a mucro up to 2 mm. long; lemma terete, 5–6 mm. long, scaberulous; callus oblong, 0.3–0.5 mm. long, broadly obtuse, bearded along the sides; awn with (rarely without) a slightly twisted column 1–3(–6) mm. long, not articulated, the central limb 8–23 mm. long, the laterals 7–17 mm.
Densely tufted, erect perennial, up to 900 mm high; rhizome stout or long, thin and oblique; culms unbranched to branched at some nodes. Leaf blade up to 300 x 3 mm; leaves either mainly basal, forming a dense basal tuft in which culms remain hidden or mainly cauline and culms clearly visible for most of their lengths; ligule a dense fringe of hairs. Inflorescence a contracted, dense to lax panicle; branches erect to spreading up to 45 degrees from main axis. Spikelet 20-30 mm long (including awns), disarticulating above glumes; glumes usually very unequal; lower glume 1/2-2/3 length of upper glume, awned. Floret 1; lemma narrowly lanceolate, distinctly tapering into a beak or column, articulation absent; awns 3, laterals well developed, glabrous; callus tip naked, swollen, rounded to truncate. Flowering time Nov.-May.
Panicle 5-20 x 1-8 cm., narrow, contracted or fairly lax, erect or somewhat nodding, with a more or less angular, scaberulous axis; branches up to 5 cm. long, usually 2-nate, erect, scaberulous, subfascicled, capillary, often naked in the lower part, with spikelets congested towards the ends.
Lemma c. 6 mm. long, glabrous, smooth or scaberulous towards the apex; callus c. 0.5 mm. long, shortly barbate; awns very fine, suberect, more or less spreading; articulation absent.
Leaf-laminae up to 30 x 0·1 cm. when expanded, subsetaceous, convolute, mostly strictly erect, sometimes slightly curved, scaberulous or hirtellous above, glabrous smooth beneath.
Glumes linear-lanceolate, unequal, thin, acute or acuminate or awned, 1-nerved (the inferior sometimes with 2 additional nerves in the lower part), glabrous or minutely pubescent.
Perennial to 90 cm. Leaves linear. Spikelets in a congested panicle, 20-30 mm long, lower glume awned, lemmas without articulation.
Perennial, up to 60 cm. high, densely caespitose, with old dark leaf-sheaths at the base and with thick spongy roots.
Ligule a short-ciliolate rim; auricles pubescent or more or less barbate, especially those of the lower sheaths.
Leaf-sheaths tight, the lower keeled, striate, glabrous, smooth or scabrous, sometimes with long flexuous hairs.
Culms erect, slender, wiry, simple or slightly branched, glabrous, smooth, 3-4-noded; nodes glabrous, smooth.
Tufted perennial 30–60 cm. high
