Low-growing perennial, forming small tufts or cushions to c. 15 cm, with culms usually somewhat overtopping the rather stiff, green or purplish leaves; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath creamy brown or purple, glabrous, hyaline, ribs distinct. Ligule c. 0.5-(1) mm, entire, narrowed to a subobtuse point, glabrous throughout. Leaf-blade 1-5 cm × (0.5)-1-1.5 mm, folded, smooth but with a few prickle-teeth abaxially on midrib near incurved tip, and on margins near ligule and tip. Culm 1-10-(15) cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 1-4.5 cm, lax; rachis and slender spreading branches and pedicels filiform, smooth, rarely sparsely scabrid below the very few spikelets. Spikelets 3-4 mm, 3-4-flowered, light green, usually purplish. Glumes subequal, smooth, but midnerve prickle-toothed in upper ½; lower 1.5-2.5 mm, 1-nerved, ovate-lanceolate, acute, upper 1.8-3.2 mm, 3-nerved, ovate, subobtuse. Lemma 2-3.5 mm, 5-7-nerved, ovate, obtuse, smooth, but upper ⅓ of midnerve sparsely scabrid. Palea 1.5-2.5 mm, keels short-scabrid, interkeel glabrous. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous. Lodicules 0.3-0.6 mm. Anthers (0.2)-0.3-(0.5) mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm.
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