Perennials. Rhizomes short, sometimes subglobose. Culms tufted. Leaves clustered at base of culm; sheath brownish, mouth ciliate; ligule a fringe of short hairs; leaf blade linear, 5-15 cm × 1-2.5 mm, glaucous, apex mucronate. Involucral bracts 1 or 2, basalmost 1.5-4 cm, much shorter than inflorescence. Inflorescence a compound anthela, 3-7 cm, inclined to nodding, with 4-23 spikelets; primary rays 3-6, 1.5-5 cm. Spikelets yellowish brown, ovoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, 8-12 × 3-4 mm, terete. Glumes yellowish brown and brown striate, ovate to broadly elliptic, 2-3.2 × 1.7-2 mm, thinly papery, 1-veined or obscurely 3-veined, margin hyaline, apex acute and mucronate. Anthers ca. 1.3 mm. Style liguliform, flat, apical margin densely fimbriate; stigmas 2. Nutlet brownish when mature, globose-obovoid, ca. 3 × 3 mm, biconvex, slightly cancellate with ca. 20 rows of transversely oblong-hexagonal epidermal cells, apex rounded to subtruncate. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.
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