Open, bluish green or light green, annual or short-lived perennial tufts, (12)-20-70 cm, whole plant often withering early and culms not breaking up below panicle; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath firmly membranous, distinctly ribbed, glabrous below, very finely scabrid above, light green, later light brown. Ligule (1)-2-5 mm, oblong, rounded or tapered, later lacerate, abaxially with sparse prickle-teeth. Leaf-blade 2.5-8-(18) cm × 1.5-3 mm, usually flat, sometimes involute and 0.5-1 mm diam., glabrous, or ribs scabrid; margins very finely scabrid, tip fine, acute. Culm 10-35 cm, erect to spreading, internodes usually densely, minutely scabrid, occasionally smooth. Panicle 9-30 × (0.5)-2-25 cm, delicate, enclosed at base by the uppermost leaf-sheath, at first contracted, later very lax; branches filiform, numerous, unequal, very finely scabrid, primary branches naked for much of their length, with spikelets in clusters of 2-several, towards tips of the much shorter capillary secondary branchlets. Spikelets 2.5-3.5-(4.2) mm, pale silvery green to purplish. Glumes subequal, acute to acuminate, usually glabrous, membranous, very narrow linear-lanceolate, lower glume usually slightly longer and more acuminate; keel scabrid almost to base. Lemma 1.3-2-(2.3) mm, ½-⅔ length of glumes, 5-nerved, moderately covered with very short hairs, oblong-ovate, glabrous near hyaline, truncate, erose apex, lateral nerves very shortly excurrent; awn 3-6 mm, geniculate, ± middorsal or from c. upper ⅓. Palea ¾-⅘ length of lemma, keels c. 0.1 mm apart, apex subobtuse. Callus ringed by minute hairs 0.3-0.4 mm, to ¼ length of lemma. Rachilla prolongation 0, or to c. 0.3 mm tipped with hairs to c. 0.8 mm. Lodicules 0.5-0.9 mm, linear, acute. Anthers 0.2-0.5 mm. Caryopsis 0.8-1.3 × 0.3-0.5 mm.
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Erect, geniculate or shortly rhizomatous, caespitose annual or perennial. Culms to 50 (–80) cm tall, c. 4-noded; mid-culm nodes exposed or hidden by leaf sheaths; mid-culm internodes densely minutely scabrid. Leaves: basal sheaths glabrous below to scabrid above; ligule 2–8 mm long, acute or obtuse, becoming lacerated; blade flat or folded, to 30 cm long, 1–3.5 (–5) mm wide. Panicles open, to 30 cm long, partly enclosed by upper leaf sheath to fully exserted, deciduous, sometimes with a purplish cast; peduncle scabrous; primary branches spreading, often drooping to weeping, bare at base, branching above with spikelets toward ends of branchlets. Spikelets numerous, 3–4.5 mm long; pedicel clavate, scabrous; rachilla extension to c. half lemma length, long-hairy. Glumes diverging, subequal. Lemma 1.5–3.5 mm long, moderately villous to almost glabrous, 5-nerved, shortly 4-toothed, awned; awn arising from near mid-point of lemma, 3.5–5.5 mm long, geniculate with column less than 0.5 mm wide and twisted. Palea slightly shorter than lemma, shortly bifid. Stamens 3; anthers 0.2–0.5 mm long.
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