Soft, weak, loosely tufted, stoloniferous or rhizomatous perennial, c. 5-40 cm, rooting at lower nodes, smaller tufts sometimes with close-packed shoots; leaves < culms, bright green, leaf-blades persistent; branching extravaginal near plant base, intravaginal above. Leaf-sheath light green, sometimes purplish, later very light brown, membranous, distinctly ribbed, glabrous. Ligule 0.5-1.5-(3) mm, entire, glabrous throughout. Leaf-blade c. 2-9 cm × 0.5-1.5 mm, flat, abaxially slightly scabrid near acute, ± incurved tip, slightly scabrid adaxially and on margins. Culm (3)-10-25-(35) cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 3-10-(16) cm, lax and delicate; branches often paired, very fine, scabrid, spreading, bearing few spikelets, pedicels scabrid on angles, often purplish. Spikelets 2-3-(5) mm, 2-3-(5)-flowered, light green, often purple-tinged. Glumes usually noticeably unequal, often purplish, smooth; lower 0.3-0.8-(1) mm, 1-nerved, triangular, subacute, upper (0.8)-1-1.5 mm, 3-nerved, more ovate, subobtuse, rarely with a few prickle-teeth on midnerve; margins entire. Lemma 1.2-2 mm, 3-nerved, subobtuse, smooth apart from a few prickle-teeth on midnerve; margins entire, usually purplish towards tip. Palea 1.0-1.5 mm, keels smooth, or with a few prickle-teeth near tip, interkeel smooth. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm, rarely hair-tipped. Anthers 0.2-0.3 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.4 mm; stigma-styles 0.7-0.8 mm. Caryopsis 0.9-1 × 0.3-0.5 mm. 2n= 28.
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