Robust, tussock-forming. Flowering culms (25–) 45–60 cm high, unbranched or branched. Leaves mostly basal; basal sheaths carinate or rounded, tight; orifice usually bearded, with stiff hairs 1–5 mm long, rarely glabrous; external ligule usually present as a discontinuous transverse pubescence or a firm outspread ciliolate membrane; blade flat, 5–20 cm long, 1.8–4 mm wide. Inflorescences digitate or rarely subdigitate; branches (7–) 9–14 (–22), (7–) 10–17 (–25) cm long, flexible. Glumes: lower glume 1.8–3.8 mm long, aristulate or awned; upper glume 4.5–9.7 mm long, awned, with awn 0.5–3 mm long. Callus 0.6–1 mm long. Basal lemma narrowly lanceolate, 5.5–9.2 mm long, acuminate, entire, notched or bidentate, cartilaginous, scaberulous or scabrous (sometimes only on the lower part); awn much longer than lemma body, 8–22 mm long. Basal palea acute or obtuse.
Occurs on heavier-textured red, brown, grey and black soils insummer rainfall areas, particularly where there is melon-hole development, in Brigalow(Acacia harpophylla) country, Eucalyptus forest, or Mulga (Acacia aneura). In winter rainfall areas, known from sandy, loam orclay soils, in grassland on flood plains, in savanna or mallee woodland, or inforest; overstorey species include Ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra), Eucalyptus coolabah, Callitriscollumellaris and Poplar Box (Eucalyptus populnea).
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