Perennials. Flowering culms 10–51 cm high. Leaves densely pubescent, sometimes also pilose or hirsute with simple and glandular hairs; blade disarticulating, involute, finely acuminate or acute. Terminal panicles linear, contracted, spiciform, 3–14 cm long, 0.5–1.5 cm wide (including awns). Reduced panicles and solitary unmodified cleistogenes in sheath axils. Spikelets with 3–4 florets (1 bisexual). Glumes ±equal, 3–7 mm long, obtuse to truncate, (4–) 5–7 (–8)-nerved, pubescent (hairs simple) and/or pilose (hairs glandular). Basal floret: lemma body 1.8–2.3 mm long, longer than wide or as long as wide, membranous to cartilaginous, smooth or slightly ridged at base of lobes, with margins ciliate in lower part, prominently 9–11 (–13)-nerved, with erect hairs arising in the lower 1/3–2/3 and not reaching or some slightly exceeding the lobe bases; lemma lobes 9–11, distinctly longer than body or midlobe shorter; midlobe 1.5–5.4 mm long; palea exceeding lemma body by 0.5–0.8 mm, membranous, with keels usually scaberulous or rarely ciliate, with body mostly pubescent (except near apex and/or base), with flaps pilose. Anthers 0.2–1.3 mm long.
Oftenoccurs on skeletal desert soils, limestone, rocky, sandy or clayey soils, withMulga (Acacia aneura), Bluebush (Maireana sedifolia) or other shrubs and grasses.
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