Perennials, loosely tufted, subrhizomatous; shoots extravaginal, tillers few. Culms 40–70 cm tall, nodes 3 or 4, 2 exserted, 1–1.5 mm in diam., smooth. Lower leaf sheaths somewhat keeled, moderately compressed, proximally retrorsely scabrid to distally hispidulous to strigulose, 4.5–7.5 cm, 5/9–5/6 as long as blade, uppermost closed for ca. 3/5 of length, sometimes united further by a hyaline membrane; blades flat or folded with inrolled margins, moderately thin, 5–20 cm, uppermost 5–12 cm × 2–3 mm, abaxially smooth or sparsely scabrid, shiny, adaxially and margins scabrid, apex slender prow-tipped; ligule 1.7–2.2 mm, abaxially scabrid, apex truncate to obtuse, lower ligules 0.3–0.5 mm, scabrid margined, collar margins strigose to ciliate. Panicle open, well exserted, 10–18 × up to 10 cm, longest internodes 2–3.5 cm; branches spreading, 2(–4) per node, slender, proximally rounded, smooth or sparsely scabrid, distally scabrid angled, longest 4–7 cm with 4–12 spikelets in distal 1/2; flowers female or perfect. Spikelets 4–5.5 mm, florets 2(or 3); vivipary absent; rachilla internodes to 1(–1.2) mm, smooth, minutely bumpy, or scabrid; glumes unequal sublustrous, keel scabrid distally, lower glume 1.5–2.3 mm, to 1/2 as long as first lemma, to 1/2 as wide as upper glume, 1-veined, upper glume 2.5–3 mm, 3-veined; lemmas thinly papery, 3.5–4 mm, proximally moderately scabrid to minutely bumpy, distally minutely bumpy, apex acute, keel villous or short villous to 1/3 of length, marginal veins to 1/5, intermediate veins moderately prominent; callus webbed, hairs sparse, to 1/3 the lemma; palea minutely bumpy to densely scabrid between keels, keels scabrid, glabrous. Anthers 1.8–2 mm, vestigial in unisexual flowers. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul.
Home