Perennial. Culms loosely tufted, 50–70 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., 3-noded, uppermost node ca. 1/2 way up culm. Leaf sheaths glabrous, uppermost sheath ca. 10 cm; leaf blades 15–30 cm × 2–4 mm, rolled when dry, glabrous, abaxial surface and margins scabrid; ligule ca. 1 mm, ciliate. Panicle spreading, 15–20 cm, nodding; branches 2–4 per node, basal primary branch 4–6 cm, each bearing 1 or 2 spikelets. Spikelets 15–20 × ca. 10 mm, tinged with purple, florets 5–7; rachilla ca. 3 mm, spiny scabrid; glumes lanceolate, subequal to lower florets, upper keel scabrid, apex acuminate-mucronate, lower glume 10–12 mm, 1-veined, upper glume 12–15 mm, 3–5-veined; lemmas oblong-lanceolate, 12–15 × ca. 2 mm in side view, 5–7-veined, glabrous, margins narrowly membranous, yellowish brown, awned from apex; awn 8–14 mm, later recurved; palea ca. 10 mm, keels ciliate. Anthers 2.5–3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.
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