Densely tufted perennial, arising from a short knotty rhizome (rarely with slender wiry rhizomes), the basal sheaths silky tomentose; culms hard, 30–100 cm. high; nodes usually glabrous, sometimes villous.. Leaf-blades 4–30 cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide.. Inflorescence linear to lanceolate, of 6–30 or more racemes spreading or appressed to an elongated axis 4–30 cm. long, this typically without long white hairs, not whorled, or occasionally the lowest branches forming an irregular whorl; racemes 1–11 cm. long, the spikelets paired on a triquetrous rhachis (sometimes one or both ‘pedicels’ binately branched).. Spikelets narrowly ovate, 1.7–2.5 mm. long; lower glume variable, but usually a little hyaline ± ovate and obtuse scale 0.1–0.6 mm. long; upper glume 2/3–4/5 as long as the spikelet, 3(–5)-nerved, pubescent to pilose; lower lemma as long as the spikelet, 5–7-nerved, densely silky pilose or villous with soft white smooth hairs slightly exceeding the spikelet; fruit ellipsoid, brown.
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