Perennials, densely tufted, not rhizomatous; shoots intravaginal. Culms 30–65 cm tall, ca. 1 mm in diam., smooth, nodes 2 or 3, 1–3 exserted, uppermost node to 1/3–1/2 way up culm. Leaf sheaths narrowly keeled, smooth or sparsely scabrid, glabrous, lowermost loose, short, moderately firm, becoming papery, 4.5–12 cm, 1.3–1.8 × as long as blade, uppermost closed for 3/7–4/7 of length; blades flat or folded with margins inrolled or not, thin to moderately thin, 3–11 cm × 1–2 mm wide, uppermost 3–7 cm, abaxially smooth except the upper keel scabrid, adaxial surface and margins scabrid, of tillers 4–20 cm, adaxially strigose in some; ligules 2–4.1 mm, abaxially smooth, apex obtuse to acute, of tillers ca. 0.5 mm, abaxially scabrid, apex truncate, scabrid, collars of lower and tiller leaves smooth, glabrous, or margins with a few ciliate hairs. Panicle open, lax, narrowly triangular, well exserted, diffuse, 5.5–14 × 3–8 cm, longest internodes 2–3.5 cm; branches spreading, flexuous, 2 per node, slender, round, smooth (or with a few hooks), longest 3–7.5 cm with 3–11 spikelets in distal 1/3; flowers female, perfect, or male. Spikelets elliptic, 3.5–6 mm, florets 2(or 3); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes to 1.2 mm, scabrid or densely hispidulous; glumes unequal, ovate to oblong, surfaces minutely punctate with purple papillae, membranous to very thinly papery, keels scabrid above, lower glume 2.3–3.5 mm, 1-to faintly 3-veined, upper glume 2.7–4.5 mm, faintly 3-veined, broadest above middle, 1.5–2 × broader than lower one, shorter than 1st lemma by 1–2 mm; lemmas thinly papery, 3.5–5.2 mm, apex narrowly membranous, acute, keel villous for 1/2 of length, marginal veins to 1/4, intermediate veins moderately prominent, area between veins proximally minutely bumpy, scabrid or crisply pilulose, distally smooth or sparsely scabrid, minutely bumpy; callus webbed; palea proximally densely scabrid to hispidulous between keel, keels scabrid. Anthers ca. 2 mm or vestigial. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.
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