Plant turf-forming or densely tufted; shoots intravaginal. Culms (15–)20–55 cm tall, node 1. Leaf sheaths glabrous or with trichomes; auricles present as erect swellings; leaf blades conduplicate, 8–18 cm × 0.3–0.4 mm, veins (5–)7, margins scaberulous; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma usually in 3 broad bands; ligule 0.2–0.6 mm, margin ciliate. Panicle usually contracted, occasionally loose, open, (1.5–)3–7 cm; branches 1–2.5 cm, with spikelets from base, inserted singly. Spikelets 6–8 mm, greenish or rarely brown; florets 4–6; glumes glabrous or upper ciliolate along margins; lower glume narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, 2.5–4 mm; upper glume lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, 3.7–5 mm; rachilla internodes 0.8–1 mm; lemmas 4.5–5.5(–6) mm, scabrid above middle; awns (1.5–)2–3(–4) mm; palea keels scabrid. Anthers 1.6–2.6 mm. Ovary apex glabrous. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.