Prostrate flat, bronze-leaved stoloniferous open grass, rooting and shooting from nodes on stolons; branching extravaginal; upper culm internode greatly elongating after anthesis and the long weak culm trails along the ground. Leaf-sheath 5-7 cm, glabrous or sometimes retrorsely pilose. Ligule 0.25-0.3 mm, very finely ciliate. Collar glabrous, curved and thickened. Auricles ± 1 mm or smaller, clasping, with 1-2 long hairs. Leaf-blade 10-15 cm × 2 mm, bronzed, flat sometimes ± involute, abaxially glabrous, smooth, ribs evident, adaxially with short antrorse prickle-teeth; margins prickle-toothed. Culm to 2 m, slender, trailing along ground, upper internode elongating after flowering sometimes reaching 1.5 m. Inflorescence 10-15 cm, of up to 15 spikelets. Spikelets 25-40 mm, of 6-8 florets. Glumes 9-15 mm, produced into barbed awn up to 3 mm, 3-nerved, keeled; margins shortly toothed. Lemma 6-10 mm, smooth except for prickles on central nerve, near bifid apex and on margins below; awn 15-35 mm. Palea 7-10 mm, apex pointed and bifid. Rachilla 1.5-2.5 mm, short hairy. Callus 0.5 mm, surrounded by short hairs. Lodicules 1.5-1.7 mm, linear, irregularly hair tipped. Anthers 2-3 mm, yellow. Gynoecium: ovary 1.25-1.5 mm; stigma-styles 2-2.5 mm. Caryopsis 4.5-5 mm; embryo 1 mm. 2n= 56.
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