Perennial, caespitose. Culms 27–86 cm high, slender. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves: basal sheath margins connate; cauline sheaths free; ligule a minute rim, 0.2 mm long; auricles absent; blade loosely to closely folded, filiform, 5–27 cm long, 0.4–0.9 mm wide (not flattened out), adaxially scabrous to sparsely puberulous. Panicles contracted or sometimes elongated and narrow and ±spike-like, 5–14 cm long. Spikelets 6–12.8 (–14) mm long, with 3–8 bisexual florets. Glumes: lower glume 1.7–4.3 mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume 2.6–5.1 mm long. Lemma dorsally compressed, 4.7–6 mm long, acute to acuminate, awned, obscurely 5-nerved, with at least midnerve minutely scabrous toward apex; awn apical, 0.6–3 mm long. Caryopsis oblong.
A common component of lawn seed mixes,and sometimes naturalising from this source and, like F. rubra, sometimes used as a soilstabiliser in high-altitude areas and spreading.
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