Perennial with short rhizome. Stems very slender, setaceous, densely tufted, decumbent or hanging in tresses over rocks, subterete, finely striate, glabrous and smooth, 15-60 cm by ¼-⅓ mm. Leaves often very long (up to 50 cm), weak, filiform, very acute, with incrassate margins scabrid at the top, glabrous, or sparsely hairy also on the sheaths, deep green, ⅓-⅔ mm wide; ligule absent. Inflorescence simple or subcompound, loose, with (1-)3-5(-10) spikelets. Involucral bracts 1-3, erect, the lowest usually much overtopping the inflorescence, up to 8(-15) cm. Rays spreading, often curved, compressed, smooth, 1-2 cm. Spikelets solitary, ovoid, terete, acute, shining brown, 4-6 (ultimately up to 10) by 2-2/2 mm; rachilla very narrowly winged. Glumes spiral, membranous, ovate or broadly ovate, obtuse, apiculate, not keeled, obscurely many-nerved with prominent midnerve, glabrous or sparsely short-hairy, minutely ciliolate, brown with paler margins, 2½-3 by 2-2¼ mm. Stamens 3; anthers linear, 1-½ mm, with distinctly produced connective bristly at the top. Style flat, scarcely dilated at the base, densely ciliate in the upper half, 1½-2½ mm; stigmas 2, about as long as the style. Nut biconvex, oblong-obovate, or suboblong, shortly stipitate, scarcely umbonulate, smooth or sparsely verruculose, minutely cancellate by the slightly impressed, roundish or transversely elliptic epidermal cells in 10-12 vertical rows on either face, brown, 1-1½ by ½-⅔ mm.
Home