Loosely tufted perennials. Culms 25–109 cm tall, unbranched or branched or strongly branched (fastigiate), terete or compressed; internodes smooth or scaberulous, glabrous or hairy (hirsute on lower internodes), sometimes glaucous. Leaves: ligule 0.2–0.5 mm long; blade flat or conduplicate, coiled or flexuose at maturity, 20–40 cm long, to 2 mm wide. Inflorescences 7–64 cm long, 2–9 cm wide, loosely contracted or ±open; branches loosely appressed or not appressed, to 10 cm long, naked at base. Glumes inverse or subequal or normal, aristulate, 1-nerved, glabrous; lower glume caducous, 4.8–11 mm long, entire; upper glume 5–10.5 mm long, acute, notched or entire. Lemma 4.6–12 mm long, subequal to both glumes, involute, smooth or scabrous apically, without an articulation or pseudoarticulation; groove smooth; column absent; awns distinctly unequal, with lateral awns one-to two-thirds as long as median awn; median awn straight or gently curved, 8–18 mm long; lateral awns 3–12 mm long, terete. Caryopsis furrowed in T.S., more than twice embryo len
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