Perennial, tufted, with creeping rhizomes. Culms 40–80 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous; leaf blades flat or rolled, 12–18 cm × 1.5–3 mm, abaxial surface smooth except near apex, adaxial surface scaberulous; ligule 2–5 mm, extended into acuminate lobe on side opposite blade. Panicle linear in outline, lax, usually 1-sided, 10–18 cm; branches erect or almost so, unbranched, up to 2 cm, bearing 1–6 spikelets. Spikelets ovate, 5–8.5 mm, silvery green, sometimes purple tinged, fertile florets (1–)2(–4), usually 3rd floret smaller and enclosing terminal sterile globular cluster; glumes subequal, 5.5–7 mm, mainly hyaline, herbaceous around veins in lower part, lower glume lanceolate, 1–3-veined, upper glume elliptic, 3–5-veined, both acute; lemmas elliptic-oblong, lowest 5–6.5 mm, 7–9-veined, scaberulous, apex hyaline, obtuse-erose; palea ca. 3/4 lemma length, keels ciliolate. Anthers 1.1–1.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.
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