Very fine-leaved, light green, shortly rhizomatous, small, lax, perennial tufts 10-50 cm, with conspicuous light-coloured leaf-sheaths, and slender, erect culms » drooping leaves, topped by extremely delicate, green panicles; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green, later creamy brown sometimes purplish, membranous, ribbed, glabrous. Ligule 0.2-0.4-(1) mm, apically glabrous, entire, ± rounded, abaxially slightly scabrid. Leaf-blade (2)-5-12-(16) cm × 0.5-1 mm, folded, usually filiform, soft, culm-leaves 1-3 mm wide, flat, minutely scabrid abaxially on midrib towards long, fine, acute, triangular tip, and adaxially just above ligule and on margins. Culm (4)-10-32-(50) cm, nodes swollen, internodes smooth, rarely scabrid below panicle. Panicle (3.5)-8-15-(25) cm, lax and delicate; rachis smooth to finely scabrid above, elongate branches and pedicels filiform, finely scabrid, spreading, with few spikelets. Spikelets 3-4 mm, 3-4-(5)-flowered, light green, often purplish. Glumes ± unequal, obtuse, midnerve often with a few prickle-teeth; lower 0.8-1.5 mm, 1-nerved, linear-lanceolate, upper 1.3-1.8 mm, 3-nerved, ovate-lanceolate; margins finely scabrid. Lemma (1.6)-1.8-2.2 mm, 5-nerved but inner lateral nerves often rather faint, glabrous, margin and nerves near obtuse tip minutely scabrid. Palea 1.2-2 mm, keels obviously ciliate, interkeel and often margins sparsely prickle-toothed. Callus glabrous, very rarely with a few fine hairs. Rachilla 0.5-1 mm, glabrous. Lodicules c. 0.2 mm. Anthers 0.2-0.4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.3 mm; stigma-styles 0.5-0.9 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.3 mm, tightly enclosed by lemma and palea. 2n= 28. Plate 7A.
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