Perennial, densely tufted. Culms erect, slender, hard, 20–50 cm tall, 0.5–1.5 mm in diam., 7–13-noded, nodes glabrous. Leaf sheaths shorter than internodes, densely tuberculate-hispid, glabrescent; leaf blades linear, 3–12 cm × 1–2 mm, with tubercle-based hairs on both surfaces, glabrescent; ligule 0.3–0.5 mm. Panicle sparse, 4–8 cm; central axis and branches scaberulous; branches few, 2.5–5 cm, laxly ascending; pedicels with a few long stiff hairs at apex. Spikelets 4.5–5.5 mm, green tinged purple; glumes setose along veins; lower glume 3.5–5 mm, 3-veined; upper glume 5-veined; lower floret staminate or barren, shorter than glumes; upper floret ca. 2 mm, lemma apex awned, awn flanked by 2 slender erect bristles; bristles 1.5–1.8 mm; awn geniculate, 4.5–5.5 mm; callus hairs hairs 1/3 length of lemma. Fl. and fr. Aug–Dec.
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