Plants to 1 m tall, shortly rhizomatous, with shoots conspicuously extravaginal. Culms erect; nodes 2–4, exserted. Leaves: ligule 0.5–2 mm long, broadly obovate to ovate, ciliate, puberulous on abaxial surface; auricles tufted; blade flat or weakly rolled, 1.5–4 mm wide, ribbed on abaxial surface, glabrous or puberulous to scaberulous, glabrous on margins. Inflorescence linear, 15–30 cm long, contracted, dense; spikelets not or only slightly gaping. Glumes unequal, 9–15 mm long, acute or shortly acuminate. Callus 1.3–1.4 mm long, straight, sericeous. Lemma very narrowly elliptic, 5–6.5 mm long, smooth, white to tawny at maturity, with hairs long, soft, slightly spreading, white to yellow, overlapping base of awn distally by 2 mm and appearing to form a 2 mm long coma; lobes absent; awn very slender, 23–38 mm long, with antrorsely scaberulous column 7–12 mm long and scabrous bristle. Palea c. 0.5 mm shorter than lemma, acute. Lodicules 2, oblong.
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