Perennials, loosely tufted or weakly stoloniferous; shoots extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect, sometimes decumbent at base, few per tuft, 17–60 cm tall, 0.8–1.3 mm thick, smooth, nodes 2 or 3, 1 or 2 exserted, uppermost to 1/4–1/2 way up culm. Leaf sheaths mostly 1.5–2.5 mm wide, ribs not distinctly raised, smooth, glabrous, lower leaves bladeless or with short blades, uppermost closed for 1/2–3/4 of length, 5–8 cm, 1.5–5 × as long as blade; blade green, flat, thin, 2–5 cm × 1.5–3.5 mm, surfaces smooth and glabrous, margins scabrid, longer upward along culm; ligule 2.5–4 mm, abaxially smooth, of tillers 0.5–1.5 mm, collars smooth, glabrous. Panicle open, lax, 3.5–12 × 3–8 cm; branches spreading, 1 or 2 per node, capillary, rounded, smooth, longest 2.5–5 cm with 1–3(or 4) spikelets in distal 1/4. Spikelets rosy-violet tinged and a little grayish, 4.5–7 mm, florets usually 3–5, mostly perfect, infrequently female; vivipary absent; rachilla internodes to 1–1.5 mm, smooth, glabrous; glumes unequal, submembranous-papery, smooth or upper keel with a few hooks, lower glume 2.7–4.1 mm, 1-or 3-veined, upper glume 3.7–4.7 mm, 3-veined; lemmas oblong, membranous-papery, 3.5–4.5 mm, margins broadly membranous, apex obtuse, blunt, intermediate veins moderately distinct, keel loosely villous for up to 2/3 of length, marginal veins to 1/2, surfaces smooth, abaxially glabrous or loosely pilulose; callus glabrous or sparsely webbed, usually on proximal florets, hairs less than 1/2 as long as lemma; palea smooth and glabrous between keels, keels scabrid. Anthers 1.7–3.25 mm, vestigial or later aborted (up to 1.5 mm). Fl. and fr. Aug.
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