Perennials, stoutly rhizomatous or stoloniferous; shoots mainly extravaginal. Culms erect or obliquely ascending (or geniculate), (15–)20–60(–90) cm tall, 2–3 mm in diam., smooth, glabrous, nodes 1 or 2 in lower part, sometimes 1 exserted, base enclosed in withered fibrous sheaths. Leaf sheaths of culm smooth, uppermost closed for 1/4–1/3 of length, of tillers smooth and glabrous or infrequently densely retrorsely scabrid to hispidulous; blade grayish green, flat, folded, or involute, papery, 3.5–12.5 cm, (1–)2–5 mm wide, abaxial surface smooth, adaxial surface with scabrid margins and veins, apex slender prow-tipped, somewhat pungent, blades of tillers 12–18(–35) cm, surfaces glabrous (or pubescent); ligule white or off-white, brownish to yellowish, firmly membranous, 1–2(–5.5) mm, abaxially scabrid, apex rounded, ciliolate, sometimes irregularly dentate. Panicle contracted to spikelike, often interrupted, 5–13 × 1–2(–3) cm; branches erect or steeply ascending, strict, (1–)2–4(–5) per node, rounded, smooth, longest 1–5 cm with spikelets from base or in distal 1/2–3/4. Spikelets pale green, sometimes purple, (4–)5–8(–9) mm, florets 3–6(–8); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes 0.5–1.5 mm, smooth or scabrid; glumes smooth except for a few hooks on the upper part of keel, margins smooth or faintly to prominently scabrid, proximally ciliate or villous, lower glume 2.5–4.6 mm, narrow, 1-or 3-veined, upper glume 3.5–6 mm, 3-veined; lemmas broadly lanceolate, 3.8–5.7 mm, apex and margins ± membranous, sometimes minutely mucronate, lower half of keel and marginal veins villous, upper part nearly smooth to closely scabrid, intermediate veins indistinct; callus glabrous or with 1 to several hairs, these straight, to 1.5 mm; palea smooth or scabrid between keels, keels ciliate, medially pilulose or villous, distally scabrid. Anthers 2–3.1 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Sep.
Home