Tall tussock with dark green, persistent, scabrid leaves on brown, hairy sheaths. Leaf-sheath to 20 cm, entire, persistent, becoming fibrous, abundant deciduous hairs to 4 mm between nerves, on margins and at apex. Ligule to 1 mm. Leaf-blade to 80 cm × 4 mm, flat or folded, many ribs, persistent, abaxially with abundant prickle-teeth above, very occasionally with long hairs below, adaxially glabrous; margin with long hairs below soon becoming very scabrid. Culm to 2 m, internodes glabrous or with dense short hairs below nodes. Inflorescence to 35 cm; rachis and pedicels short stiff hairy, but rachis sometimes glabrous in North Id plants. Spikelets of up to 6 distant florets. Glumes hyaline, scabrid, often bifid at apex, < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 7 mm, 1-nerved, upper to 10 mm, 3-5-nerved. Lemma to 6 mm, scabrid especially above; hairs long at margin and usually aside central nerve but absent or fewer elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes up to 3 mm, scabrid, triangular or shortly awned; central awn to 15 mm reflexed from 1 mm flat or infrequently twisting column. Palea to 6.5 mm, ≈ lemma, interkeels with prickle-teeth above and often short hairs below. Callus to 1.5 mm, hairs to 4 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm, occasionally short stiff hairy. Lodicules to 1.5 mm. Anthers to 4.5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.75 mm; stigma-styles to 2 mm. Caryopsis to 3 mm. 2n= 42.
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