Culms 15–95 cm high, 4-noded. Leaves: ligule 0.4–0.7 mm long; blade to 20 cm long, 1–5 mm wide, with long, fine hairs. Spikes 5–25 cm long; axes disarticulating in segments, shattering below spikelets at each node. Spikelets 10–22 mm long, with 3–8 (–11) bisexual florets; rachilla often terminated by rudimentary floret. Glumes unequal, scaberulous along the prominent raised nerves; lower glume 3–6 (–7) mm long, (3) 4 or 5-nerved; upper glume (5–) 6–10 mm long, (7–) 9–11-nerved. Bisexual lemma 5–9.5 mm long or shorter in apical florets, obscurely 5 (–9)-nerved; awn (5–) 9–13 mm long, arising in upper 1/3 of lemma, with column twisted. Anthers (1.5–) 4–6.4 mm long (anthers generally become shorter as florets become shorter towards spikelet apex).
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