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Perennial, occasionally shortly rhizomatous and tufted (erect), up to 500 mm tall (usually shorter). Leaf blades up to 200 mm long, up to 1 mm wide. Basal leaf sheaths persistent, breaking up into fibres and forming a dense tuft at base of culms. Spikelets 10-12 mm long (including awns). Inflorescence contracted, branches erect or spreading less than 45° from main axis; spikelets brownish purple to deep purple; lower glume up to two-thirds the length of the upper, awned; lemma articulation absent; column absent, sometimes with a short beak; awns 3, subequal; callus very short, tip naked, large, swollen, rounded.
Tufted, erect perennial to 500 mm high, usually shorter; occasionally shortly rhizomatous; basal leaf sheaths persistent, breaking up into fibres and forming a dense tuft at the base of culms. Leaf blade to 200 x to 1 mm. Inflorescence contracted, branches erect or spreading less than 45 degrees from main axis. Spikelet 10-12 mm long (including awns), brownish-purple to deep purple; lower glume to 2/3 the length of upper glume, awned; lemma articulation absent; column absent, a short beak may be present; awns three, subequal; callus very short, apex naked, large, swollen, rounded; anther 1.7-2.2 mm long.
Lemma 3·5-5 mm. long, slightly keeled, glabrous, smooth in the lower part, more or less scaberulous towards the apex, prolonged into a short beak up to 0·7 mm. long; callus 0·2-0·3 mm. long, obtuse, short-barbate; awns subequal, scabrid, usually slightly contorted at the base; the central 7-8 mm. long, the lateral ones 5-6 mm. long; articulation absent.
Glumes subequal to unequal, glabrous or scabrous on the keels; the inferior usually 2·5-5 mm. long, lanceolate-ovate, 3-nerved, often 3-keeled, gradually or abruptly tapering into a short awn c. 1 mm. long; the superior usually 4·5-6 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, mucronate, or with a short awn up to 1 mm. long.
Panicle 8 x 4 cm., ovate-lanceolate in outline, long-exserted, lax but not much branched; axis smooth, more or less angular, scaberulous upwards; branches 2-nate or 3-5-partite, capillary, somewhat flexuous, naked in the lower 1/2, scaberulous, the lower up to 3 cm. long.
Leaf-sheaths striate, glabrous, the basal somewhat lax, persistent, breaking up into fibres, forming a dense tuft at the base of the culms, the upper somewhat tighter.
Leaf-laminae up to 20 x 0·1 cm., setaceously involute, scaberulous above, glabrous, smooth beneath, subobtuse or acute.
Culms erect, very elegant, slightly compressed, simple, glabrous, smooth, 1-(2) noded; nodes glabrous, smooth.
Spikelets brownish-purple to deep purple, contracted towards the ends of the branches.
Ligule a short-ciliolate rim; auricles barbate; collar glabrous.
Perennial 10-30 cm. high, densely caespitose.
Perennial 20–45 cm. high
