Perennials, loosely tufted, rhizomatous; shoots extravaginal. Culms erect, decumbent at base, 50–80 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., nodes 2 or 3, 1 or 2 exserted, lower internodes smooth or scabrid. Leaf sheaths pale green, compressed, moderately keeled, smooth or scabrid, glabrous, 2–4 × as long as blade, uppermost closed for 1/3–2/5 of length; blade flat or folded with margins slightly inrolled, thin to moderately thin, 5–20 cm × 1–3 mm, abaxially smooth or sparsely to densely scabrid, margins scabrid, of tillers and lower culm to 30 cm; ligule 0.5–1(–2.7) mm, abaxially smooth or scabrid, glabrous, apex truncate or infrequently obtuse, collar margins scabrid, glabrous. Panicle loosely contracted to open, (3–)5–15 × 1–9 cm; branches contracted to spreading, 2–5 per node, slender, proximally round and smooth, distally scabrid angled, longest 0.5–7 cm with 2–10 spikelets in distal 1/3–1/2. Spikelets pale green and rosy to dark purple, 4–6 mm, florets 3–4(–6); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes 0.5–1.5 mm, smooth or sparsely scabrid; glumes subequal, keel sparsely scabrid, apex acuminate, lower glume 2–3 mm, 1-or 3-veined, upper glume 3–3.5(–4.5) mm, 3-veined; lemmas pale green and violet to dark purple above, papery-membranous to papery, 4–5 mm, abaxially smooth or minutely bumpy, adaxially smooth or sparsely scabrid, glabrous throughout, keel distally scabrid, intermediate veins prominent, margins smooth, apex acute; callus glabrous; palea smooth or minutely bumpy between keels, keels scabrid in distal 1/2, 5–40 hooks per keel. Anthers 1.5–3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul.
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