Perennial, tufted. Culms 20–90 cm tall, 1–3 mm in diam. Leaf sheaths usually glabrous, lower occasionally sparsely to densely pilose; leaf blades usually flat, 6–15 cm × 2–7 mm, abaxial surface smooth, keeled, adaxial surface scaberulous or sparsely pilose; ligule 1–3 mm, often extended into 2–4 mm acuminate lobe on side opposite blade. Panicle linear or linear-oblong in outline, lax to moderately dense, 8–22 cm; branches erect or obliquely ascending, branched in vigorous specimens, up to 5 cm, 1-sided, bearing 20–50 crowded spikelets. Spikelets ovate, 5–8 mm, pale greenish brown or milky white, fertile florets 2–4(–6), terminal sterile lemmas gathered into globular cluster; glumes keeled, lanceolate in side view, subequal, 4–8 mm, slightly shorter to slightly longer than florets, 3–5-veined, keel usually ciliolate, both acuminate; lemmas ovate-oblong, lowest 4–8 mm, herbaceous with membranous upper margins and apex, 7-veined, coarsely tubercular-scabrid, apex acute to obtuse; palea keels ciliolate. Anthers 0.8–1.3 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.
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