Perennials, loosely tufted, shortly rhizomatous; shoots all extravaginal, or a few intravaginal. Culms 1–5 per clump, 5–40 cm tall, nodes 1–3. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous, 4–8 cm, 1.5–3 × as long as upper blade, uppermost closed for over (1/2–)2/3 of length; blade flat or folded, moderately thin, 1–5 cm × 2–4 mm, surfaces smooth or adaxially sparsely scabrid, margins scabrid, apex prow-tipped, of tillers 2–15 cm; ligule 2–4 mm, abaxially smooth, collars smooth, glabrous. Panicle loosely contracted to open, slightly lax, exserted, 2–8 × 1.2–5 cm, longest internodes 1–2.5 cm; branches rounded, ascending or spreading, 2(–5) per node, smooth or sparsely (rarely moderately) scabrid, longest 1.5–4.5 cm with 1–3(–7) spikelets in distal 1/3. Spikelets ovate, usually purple tinged, 5–8 mm, florets 2–4(–5); vivipary present or absent; rachilla glabrous or sparsely pilulose to short villous; glumes subequal or equal, lower glume 3.5–4 mm, (1 or) faintly 3-veined, upper glume ca. 4 mm, 3-veined; lemmas 4.5–5 mm, mostly purple, margins membranous, keel villous for 3/4 of length, marginal veins for 2/3, area between veins proximally loosely pilulose or infrequently glabrous, distally smooth to sparsely scabrid; callus webbed, hairs long, dense; palea glabrous or pilulose between keels, keels scabrid, usually medially pilulose to short-villous. Anthers 2–2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.
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