Perennials, loosely tufted, from a tough, shortly rhizomatous crown, tillers sometimes clambering; shoots extravaginal. Culms erect, 1 to several, somewhat compressed, (50–)70–120 cm tall, 2–5 mm in diam., smooth, nodes 5–12, several exserted, slightly swollen, usually with leafy lateral shoots from mid to upper nodes (these infrequently flowering), lowest to mid-culm nodes strigose above and below. Leaf sheaths strongly compressed, prominently keeled above, glabrous, or sometimes strigose near the base, ?pilulose also, 6–9 cm, ca. 1/2 as long as blade, uppermost closed from 3/4 of length to near the top; blade absent or nearly so on lowermost sheaths, flat, moderately thin, 7–25 cm, uppermost often longest, (2–)4–12 mm wide, distinctly keeled, surfaces smooth, margins smooth or scabrid, adaxially often pilulose, apex prow-tipped; ligule membranous, 2–6 mm, abaxially smooth or scabrid, apex truncate or rounded, collar margins often prominently flared. Panicle open, erect, diffuse, 15–35 × 10–20 cm, longest internodes (3–)4–5(–8) cm; branches eventually spreading to reflexed, strict, (2–)3–7(–9) per node, fairly stout, smooth throughout or distally very sparsely scabrid, longest 6–12 cm with 7–26 spikelets in distal 1/2; flowers female or perfect, some inflorescences entirely female. Spikelets elliptic, 5–7 mm, florets 2 or 3(–5); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes 0.3–1 mm, densely scabrid or smooth, glabrous, or pilulose to hispidulous; glumes lanceolate to ovate, surface minutely papillate-punctate, apex acuminate, keel and upper surface smooth or scabrid, lower glume 2.3–4 mm, 1(or 3)-veined, upper glume 3.5–5 mm, 3-veined; lemmas elliptic to lanceolate, 3.5–5 mm, keel sparsely shortly villous for 1/3 of length, marginal veins for 1/4, intermediate veins faint to prominent, area between veins proximally scabrid to crisply pilulose, distally scabrid; callus sparsely webbed or glabrous; palea densely scabrid or with slender hooks between keels, keels scabrid, sometimes medially pilulose. Anthers 1.8–2.8 mm, or vestigial. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.
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