Ascending to occasionally erect, caespitose annual or short-lived perennial. Culms 20–70 cm tall, 2–5-noded; mid-culm nodes exposed, glabrous; mid-culm internodes smooth. Leaves: basal sheaths glabrous; ligule (5–) 7–9 mm long, acute becoming lacerate; blade flat or inrolled on drying, to 12 cm long but often less than 5 cm, 1.5–3 mm wide. Panicles open, 10–20 cm long, exserted; peduncle scabrous; primary branches whorled, erect to spreading in upper panicle, all strongly deflexed in lower whorls. Spikelets many, (4–) 4.5–5.5 mm long; pedicels scabrous; rachilla extension plumose, 1.5–2 mm long including hairs. Glumes diverging, sub-equal or lower one slightly longer, keels prolonged into setae more than 1 mm long. Lemma 2.2–2.7 (–3) mm long, glabrous except for occasional hairs towards margins, 5-nerved with lateral nerves prolonged into short setae, awned; awn arising near mid-point of lemma, 4.5–6.5 mm long, sometimes strongly geniculate. Palea shorter than lemma, minutely bifid. Stamens 3; anthers 0.5–0.7 (–0.8) mm long.
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