Loose, green to purple-green perennial tufts, to 60 cm, culms usually only slightly overtopping leaves at flowering, later elongating; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green, often slightly purplish, later greyish, shining, submembranous, glabrous, keeled, distinctly ribbed, occasionally scabrid just below ligule especially on keel. Ligule 0.5-1.5-(2.5) mm, evenly narrowed to a short point, strongly finely ciliate, abaxially minutely hairy. Leaf-blade 7-15.5 cm × 2-3.5 mm, flat or folded, subcoriaceous, abaxially glabrous except near curved, shortly apiculate scabrid tip, adaxially minutely scabrid; margins finely scabrid, with a few hairs just above ligule. Culm 15-45 cm, erect, internodes glabrous below panicle. Panicle 6.5-18 cm; branches slender, spreading, minutely scabrid, tipped by 2-4 large spikelets. Spikelets 6.5-9.5 mm, 3-5-flowered, usually purplish. Glumes ± equal, c. 4-5 mm, 3-nerved, elliptic-to ovate-lanceolate, subobtuse, midrib scabrid, tip minutely ciliate. Lemma 4.5-5 mm, 5-nerved, ± oblong, obtuse, minutely scabrid on nerves and internerves especially in lower ½, rarely with a few sparse short hairs near base of keel, tip minutely scabrid. Palea 4.5-5 mm, keels ciliate-scabrid, interkeel and flanks with minute hairs and prickle-teeth. Callus glabrous, rarely with a few sparse hairs. Rachilla c. 1 mm, sparsely, minutely scabrid; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules 0.7-0.9 mm. Anthers 1.2-1.7-(2) mm. Caryopsis c. 2 × 0.7 mm.
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