Stout perennial, bright green tufts, variable in size, to 30 cm, with leaves usually erect and much narrowed above; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green, sometimes purpled, membranous, ribbed, glabrous, or with a few prickle-teeth on margin near ligule. Ligule 1-2-(6) mm, apically glabrous, entire, smooth, somewhat narrowed above to a point, abaxially pubescent-scabrid. Leaf-blade 5-15 cm × 1-3-(5) mm, folded, often with inrolled margins, coriaceous, mainly smooth, but adaxially sparsely scabrid near ligule, rarely finely scabrid throughout; margins with a few scattered prickle-teeth and midrib occasionally scabrid near the curved, often shortly apiculate tip. Culm 5-15-(30) cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle (3)-5-10 cm, dense with erect branches or more spreading and often drooping above; rachis glabrous, branches numerous, slender, glabrous, tipped by large, elliptic, acute spikelets. Spikelets 6-12 mm, 5-8-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, glabrous, smooth, rarely scabrid on midnerve, acuminate; lower 3-6 mm, 1-(3)-nerved, narrow-lanceolate, upper 3.5-7 mm, 3-nerved, narrow elliptic-lanceolate. Lemma 3.5-8 mm, 3-(5)-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, acute to usually acuminate, glabrous except for long hairs near base of nerves, rarely scabrid on midnerve above hairs; margins narrow-membranous, entire. Palea 2.5-5 mm, keels sparsely short-scabrid to almost smooth, interkeel and flanks glabrous. Callus with thick tuft of long hairs just below midnerve of lemma and some hairs below lateral nerves. Rachilla 0.5-1 mm, glabrous. Lodicules c. 0.7 mm. Gynomonoecious: each spikelet with 1-2-(3) lower flowers ☿, anthers 0.8-1.2-(1.4) mm, gynoecium c. 2 mm; upper flowers ♀ with small to minute colourless pollen-sterile anthers 0.1-0.3-(0.6) mm, gynoecium c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.5-2.5 ×c. 0.5 mm. 2n= 28. Plate 7C.
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