Perennials, densely tufted, with or without short lateral shoots; shoots extra-and intravaginal. Culms several per tuft, erect or obliquely ascending, (5–)10–55 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., smooth, nodes (1–)2 or 3, none or 1 exserted, uppermost to 1/4–1/2 way up, base enclosed in layers of old, pale brown sheaths. Leaf sheaths smooth or the lower ones scabrid, glabrous, 4–10 cm, 1.5–4 × as long as blade, uppermost closed for 1/3–1/2 of length; blades flat or folded, thickly papery, 2–10 cm × 1–3(–4) mm, abaxially smooth, adaxially densely scabrid, less often nearly smooth, glabrous, margins scabrid, apex prow-tipped, of tillers 3–12 cm; ligule 1.6–4 mm, abaxially scabrid, apex truncate to obtuse, dentate to lacerate, sometimes ciliolate, collar usually smooth, glabrous. Panicle open or loosely contracted, erect or somewhat lax, exserted, 4–10(–15) × 3–8 cm; branches ascending to spreading, straight or slightly flexuous, 1 or 2(–5) per node, slender, rounded and smooth throughout or distally slightly angled and very sparsely scabrid, longest 2–7 cm with 2–4(–8) spikelets in distal 1/4–1/3. Spikelets ovate, 6–9 mm, florets 3–5(–6), purple tinged; vivipary present or commonly absent; rachilla internodes 0.8–1.2 mm, smooth, glabrous; glumes unequal to subequal, very thinly papery, shiny, smooth or keel sparsely scabrid distally, lower glume 3.5–4 (–5.2) mm, 1-or 3-veined, upper glume 3.5–5(–6) mm, 3-veined; lemmas broadly lanceolate, 4.5–6.2 mm, acute, intermediate veins indistinct, keel villous for 1/2 of length, marginal veins for 1/3, intermediate veins and surfaces proximally smooth, glabrous or loosely pilulose to short villous, keel and surfaces sparsely scabrid distally, apex acute; callus glabrous (rarely with a few hairs less than 1 mm); palea smooth, glabrous or sparsely pilulose between keels, keels scabrid, some medially pilulose to short villous. Anthers 2–2.8 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.
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