Caespitose perennial without rhizomes, the basal sheaths silky pubescent to tomentose; culms 15–100 cm. high, often ± bulbous at the base; nodes glabrous.. Leaf-blades 3–30 cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide.. Inflorescence of 4–12(–25) racemes, these digitate or borne on an axis up to 10 cm. long (this almost equalling the racemes in some East African specimens, but usually less than 1/2 their length); racemes 3–15 cm. long, the spikelets paired on a triquetrous rhachis (or sometimes on secondary branchlets in East Africa).. Spikelets narrowly elliptic, 2–3 mm. long; lower glume a little ovate scale 0.1–0.4 mm. long; upper glume 2/3 to almost as long as the spikelet, 3-nerved, pubescent to villous; lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 7-nerved, pilose to woolly villous with white hairs (rarely merely pubescent); fruit ellipsoid, greyish brown to light brown.
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