Perennials, rhizomatous; shoots extra-and intravaginal. Plants grayish green. Culms erect, decumbent at base, loosely tufted, 40–80 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., smooth, nodes 2, 1 exserted. Leaf sheath pale, prominently keeled with a short ± leathery wing, smooth, lower ones hispidulous to pilulose, to 16 cm, 3–4 × as long as blade, uppermost closed for 2/3 of length, smooth, glabrous; blade folded with slightly inrolled margins, or involute, leathery, 4–10 cm × ca. 3 mm, surfaces smooth to sparsely scabrid, of tillers to 15 cm, abaxially somewhat reflexed hispid; ligule 1–2 mm, collar smooth, scabrid or hispidulous or ciliate. Panicle loosely contracted, 12–20 × 3–5 cm; branches ascending to spreading, 2 or 3 per node, slender, proximally smooth or scabrid along angles throughout, longest 3–9 cm with 10–17 moderately crowded spikelets in distal 1/2, pedicels 0.5–1 mm, terminal one ca. 2 mm. Spikelets pale, sometimes purplish near apex, (3.5–)4–7 mm, florets 3 or 4(–6); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes 0.5–1.5 mm, scabrid; glumes unequal, apex acute, keel scabrid, area between veins sparsely, minutely scabrid, lower glume 2–2.5 mm, 1-veined, upper glume 2.8–3.5 mm, 3-veined; lemmas (3–)3.5–4 mm, minutely bumpy and moderately scabrid from base, glabrous throughout, keel finely scabrid for most of length, prominently 5(–7)-veined, margins smooth, apex acute; callus glabrous; palea minutely bumpy between keels, hooks sparse or absent, keels scabrid in distal 1/3–1/2 (30–50 hooks per keel). Anthers ca. 2 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.
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