Perennials, densely tufted; shoots all or mostly extravaginal, all or most shoots flowering. Culms erect to ascending, 20–60 cm tall, 0.5–1.5 mm in diam., rounded, smooth, not or only slightly ridged, nodes 2 or 3, 1 or 2 exserted. Leaf sheaths moderately firm, not persisting, not shiny, 4–10 cm, 1/2–2/3 as long as blade, lower sheaths glabrous or scabrid to retrorsely strigose near collars, uppermost closed for 1/4–1/2 of length; blade flat or folded with margins slightly inrolled, thin, 5–10 cm × 1–2 mm, surfaces smooth or scabrid, adaxially glabrous or retrorsely strigulose near base, margins scabrid; ligule 0.5–2 mm, apex dentate, collar margins glabrous or with some cilia. Panicle open, 6–13 × 2–7 cm, longest internodes 1.4–3.5 cm; branches flexuous, 2 or 3 per node, slender, proximally rounded and smooth, distally scabrid and weakly angled, longest 2–8 cm with 3–10 spikelets in distal 1/2. Spikelets green or purple tinged, 4–7 mm, florets 2–4; vivipary absent; rachilla internodes to 1.2 mm, smooth or scabrid; glumes unequal, lanceolate, usually purple, apex acuminate, lower glume 2–2.5 mm, 1-veined, upper glume 2.7–3.5 mm, keel scabrid to coarsely ciliate near apex, smooth elsewhere, distinctly shorter than first lemma; lemmas 3.3–4.8 mm, apex sharply acute to acuminate, intermediate veins faint to moderately distinct, keel lower part and marginal veins scabrid, glabrous or for 1/3 of length sparsely pilulose, area between veins scabrid to minutely bumpy throughout; callus glabrous, or infrequently with a few hairs to 2 mm; palea smooth or scabrid, glabrous between keels, keels scabrid. Anthers 1.5–2.3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.
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