Slender annual; culms erect, commonly 0.5-1.5 m., sometimes as little as 15 cm. high, glabrous; sheaths rounded, glabrous, shorter than the internodes; ligule 5-10 mm., rarely 20 mm., long, acuminate; blades elongate, attenuate, flat or in-volute, 1-4 mm. wide, scabrous; flowering branches from the upper nodes, ascend-ing, forming a narrow, compound but rather loose inflorescence, the ultimate branchlets somewhat flexuous; racemes 2-6 cm. long, partly enclosed in the spathes; sessile spikelet 5 mm. long, the divergent awn of the second glume about 10 mm. long, that of the fertile lemma 4-5 cm. long, once-geniculate, tightly twisted below the bend; pedicellate spikelet conspicuous, 8 mm. long, minutely ciliate on the margins, the awns 6-10 mm. long; second glume much narrower, 5 mm. long, acuminate.
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