Perennial. Culms 80–110 cm tall, 2–3 mm in diam., many-noded. Leaves all cauline; leaf sheaths usually longer than internodes, retrorsely scabrid on veins, basal sheaths purplish; leaf blades stiff, 15–30 cm × 3–6 mm, abaxial surface scabrid, adaxial surface scaberulous; ligule cylindrical, 1–4 mm, soon splitting. Panicle open, up to 35 cm; branches whorled, distant, ascending or spreading, branched, up to 12 cm, spikelets diffuse. Spikelets elliptic, 6–8 mm, glumes purple, florets pale green, fertile florets 2 or 3, 1 smaller sterile floret raised on ca. 2 mm internode; glumes unequal, clearly shorter than adjacent florets, lower glume narrowly ovate, 2.8–4 mm, upper glume lanceolate-oblong, 4.5–6.5 mm, both acute; lemmas elliptic-oblong, lowest 5–6.5 mm, herbaceous, granular-scaberulous, 5–7-veined, midvein extending to apex, apex membranous, emarginate; palea keels scabrid, ciliolate near apex. Anthers 1.1–1.8 mm. Fl. Jul–Aug.
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