Erect, open, rather stiff, shortly rhizomatous perennial tufts, to c. 30 cm, with leaves blue-green abaxially and bright green adaxially; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light-coloured, green to creamy brown or purplish, later grey, membranous, shining, glabrous, obviously ribbed. Ligule c. 0.5-1 mm, apically glabrous, truncate to obtuse, abaxially smooth or with a few minute prickle-teeth. Leaf-blade (1.5)-5-20-(25) cm × 1.5-3-(4) mm, flat or folded, subcoriaceous, abaxially smooth, adaxially usually minutely scabrid on midrib and lateral ribs near blunt, curved tip; margins smooth or scabrid, sometimes with short hairs just above ligule. Culm (4.5)-10-20-(35) cm, erect, often only slightly overtopping leaves but sometimes much longer, internodes glabrous. Panicle (2.5)-4-6-(9.5) cm, open, with 1-(3) large spikelets borne at tips of slender smooth branches; pedicels usually smooth, rarely slightly scabrid. Spikelets 5-8.5 mm, (3)-4-5-(7)-flowered, light green to usually purplish. Glumes rather unequal, elliptic, subacute to subobtuse, submembranous, smooth except occasionally for some minute prickle-teeth on midnerve; lower 2.5-5 mm, (1)-3-nerved, upper 3.5-5-(6) mm, 3-(5)-nerved. Lemma 3.5-5.5 mm, 5-(7)-nerved, elliptic-oblong, subobtuse, long-ciliate on midnerve in lower ½ and on lateral nerves near base, scabrid on midnerve above hairs and usually on lateral nerves, internerves usually glabrous. Palea 3-4.5 mm, keels ciliate-scabrid, interkeel with sparse minute hairs, or glabrous. Callus with web of soft tangled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, very minutely papillose. Lodicules 0.5-0.7 mm. Anthers 1.6-2.7 mm. Caryopsis c. 2 × 0.7 mm. 2n= 28.
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