Slender, fine-leaved, often rhizomatous perennial, in low lax clumps or forming a light green turf, to 40 cm; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades disarticulating at ligule. Leaf-sheath pale creamy brown, later greyish, somewhat coriaceous with wide hyaline margins, folded, glabrous. Ligule 0.5-c. 1 mm, apically glabrous, entire, rounded, abaxially minutely scabrid. Leaf-blade 5-10-(20) cm × 0.5-1 mm, coriaceous, ± folded with inrolled margins, abaxially glabrous, adaxially glabrous or with scattered short fine hairs; margins and long-acicular tip finely scabrid. Culm (5)-15-30-(40) cm, erect, usually overtopping but sometimes = leaves, internodes glabrous. Panicle 2-5.5-(10) cm; branches ± spreading, few to many, often short, almost filiform, smooth to finely scabrid, tipped by 1-3 rather large spikelets. Spikelets 4.5-10-(12) mm, (2)-4-8-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, lanceolate, acute to acuminate, glabrous; lower (2)-2.5-3.5 mm, (1)-3-nerved, upper (2.5)-3-4 mm, 3-nerved; margins smooth, occasionally finely fimbriate. Lemma (3)-3.5-4.5-(5) mm, 5-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, subacute to subobtuse, midnerve with short fine silky hairs on lower ⅓ to ½, glabrous above, lateral nerves with very short fine hairs near base, internerves glabrous apart from a few, occasional scattered hairs near base usually between lateral nerve and margin; margins finely ciliate above, glabrous or longer ciliate near base. Palea 2.5-4-(4.5) mm, keels with short hairs near base gradually decreasing in length to short prickle-teeth near tip, interkeel sometimes with a few hairs in lower ⅓ or glabrous. Callus with tuft of fine tangled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, smooth, or with a few fine to very minute prickle-teeth; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules c. 0.5 mm. Anthers (1)-1.5-2.5-(3) mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm. 2n= 28.
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