Stiff, bluish green perennial tufts, 10-60 cm, with capillary-branched panicles sometimes overtopped by leaves; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath chartaceous, with wide membranous margins, closely striate, smooth but sometimes scaberulous above on nerves, light brown. Ligule (1)-2-4.5 mm, tapered above, entire to erose, abaxially scabrid. Leaf-blade (5)-10-24 cm × 2.5-6-(10) mm, flat, rather harsh, scaberulous on ribs and on margins throughout, ± abruptly narrowed to firm, ± blunt, ± hooded tip. Culm (4)-7-40 cm, erect, or decumbent at base, included within uppermost leaf-sheath, internodes densely finely scabrid. Panicle 6-24 × 10-24 cm, lax, with long, whorled, ascending branches, later spreading and panicle becoming as broad as long; rachis scaberulous, branches scaberulous, spikelets borne singly at tips of ultimate panicle branchlets, on pedicels thickened above. Spikelets (4)-5-6 mm, pale green to purplish. Glumes 1-(3)-nerved, narrow-lanceolate, acuminate, usually smooth, sometimes sparsely scabrid, margins wide, hyaline, midnerve scabrid. Lemma 3-4 mm, ± ⅔ length of glumes, smooth, or often scabrid above especially on nerves, firmly membranous, shining, elliptic-lanceolate, lateral nerves excurrent to short awns 0.5-1 mm; central awn (4.5)-5-9 mm, fine, geniculate, from lower ⅓ of lemma or rarely middorsal. Palea c. ⅔ length of lemma, hyaline with 2 faint keels near centre, keels finely scabrid at minutely bifid apex. Callus hairs ± dense, very short, 0.3-0.7 mm, c. Z\z/ length of lemma. Rachilla prolongation 0.5-1 mm, tipped by a thick tuft of hairs 1-1.5 mm and ≈ palea. Lodicules slightly > 0.5 mm, lanceolate, acute. Anthers (0.5)-0.7-1 mm. Caryopsis 1.3-1.8 × 0.5-0.8 mm.
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Erect or geniculate, caespitose perennial or annual, rarely shortly rhizomatous. Culms to 50 (–80) cm high, 3-noded; mid-culm nodes glabrous and internodes finely scabrid. Leaves: basal sheaths smooth or sometimes scaberulous; ligule 3–12 mm long, acute or obtuse, becoming laciniate; blade flat or folded to involute on drying, to 40 cm long, 2–8 mm wide, abaxially scabrous. Panicles open, 10–30 cm long, shortly exserted, deciduous, often purple; peduncle scabrous; primary branches whorled, divaricate, bare at base. Spikelets many, (3–) 4–6.5 (–7) mm long; pedicel clavate, scabrous; rachilla extension to 2.5 mm long, longhairy. Glumes diverging or hardly so, subequal. Lemma 2.5–4.5 mm long, 2–4-toothed, awned or muticous, glabrous or very finely scaberulous, 5-nerved, with lateral nerves prolonged into short setae to 1 mm long; awn (3.5–) 5–9 mm long, geniculate with column twisted and arising 30–45% lemma length from base, or less than 3 mm long, non-geniculate and subapical. Palea 65% length of lemma, shortly bifid. Stamens 3; anthers 0.5–1 mm long.
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