Tightly packed, wiry-leaved small glaucous tussocks, 10-40 cm, spreading in narrow fans from a slender rhizome; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades disarticulating at ligule. Leaf-sheath light brownish to stramineous, sometimes purple, glabrous, shining, ± coriaceous with broad membranous margins, ribs inconspicuous. Ligule 1-2 mm, apically glabrous, entire, rounded and slightly tapered, abaxially slightly scabrid near base, or densely scabrid throughout. Leaf-blade (5)-10-30-(40) cm × 0.5-1 mm diam., inrolled, not keeled, usually erect, occasionally curled above, abaxially glabrous, adaxially pubescent, tip long-acicular. Culm (5)-20-30-(45) cm, ≤ leaves, internodes glabrous. Panicle 5-10-(12) cm, narrow, stiff; branches short, ± erect, glabrous to finely pubescent-scabrid, tipped by few, large spikelets. Spikelets 5.5-12 mm, 3-6-(8)-flowered, light greenish brown. Glumes subequal, subacute to acuminate, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, ± smooth, occasionally a few prickle-teeth on midnerve near tip; lower 2-5-(6) mm, 1-3-nerved, upper 2-5.5-(7) mm, 3-(5)-nerved; margin finely ciliate. Lemma 3.5-7 mm, 3-5-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, usually shortly mucronate, outer lateral nerves very distinct, internerves minutely scabrid or very rarely smooth, or prickle-teeth fewer between lateral nerves and keel, but always very dense and in several rows along keel, with longer crinkled hairs on lower ½ of midnerve, and near base of lateral nerves, often also on internerves near base; margins finely fimbriate. Palea 3-6 mm, keels and flanks with dense short prickle-teeth or minute hairs, the teeth on keels arranged in several rows, interkeel with minute prickle-teeth or hairs, often almost glabrous centrally; rarely palea glabrous except at fimbriate tip. Callus with short tuft of crinkled hairs. Rachilla 0.5-c. 1 mm, with sparse, short, fine hairs, or densely to minutely finely scabrid; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules 0.5-1 mm, occasionally hair-tipped. Anthers c. 2-3 mm. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm. 2n= 28. Plate 4A.
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