Tufted perennials. Culms 70–150 cm high. Leaves mostly glabrous and smooth; lower sheaths overlapping; ligule 0.2–0.3 mm long; blade flat or rolled, straight, to 30 cm long, to 4.4 mm wide, rigid, firm-pointed, with many ribbed nerves. Panicles open, decompound, drooping, to 46 cm long, to 16 cm wide; branches spreading to divaricate, naked in lower part. Spikelets pedicellate, linear, 16–27 mm long, 2.7–3 mm wide; rachilla straight, thick, often purple; florets 38–55, loosely overlapping; lowest floret an empty lemma resembling upper glume. Glumes unequal, separated by an obvious internode; lower glume sometimes persistent, sometimes scale-like, linear-oblong, 0.3–0.6 mm long; upper glume lanceolate, 0.6–1.2 mm long. Fertile lemmas lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long, acute, membranous, 3-nerved. Palea c. 2/3 as long as lemma; body spathulate; keels scaberulous towards apex. Stamens 3; anthers c. 0.3 mm long. Grain laterally compressed, 0.5–0.6 mm long, obtuse at base, narrower above, reticulate, reddish brown.
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