Culms 50–150 cm high, commonly unbranched, glabrous; nodes glabrous. Leaves: ligule a fringe of hairs to c. 0.5 mm long; blade 15–40 (–50) cm long, 1–3 mm wide. Inflorescence (4–) 7–11 (rarely up to 14; reported up to 20 by Simon & Alfonso (2011)) subdigitate racemes; racemes 5–11 (–13) cm long; raceme internodes 2–2.5 mm long, with a few long white hairs towards apex, slightly hairy on margins and with long hairs towards apex just below joint. Spikelets 2.5–5 mm long, to 0.5 mm wide; callus c. 0.5 mm long, with long white hairs; lower glume lanceolate to linear, flattened on back to shallowly concave, obscurely 2-veined (the veins eventually forming 2 teeth or extensions at bifid apex), notched at apex between the teeth, with very small hairs towards apex and long prominent hairs at base and sometimes along back and sides, membranous to chartaceous glume, glossy reddish brown; upper glume as long as lower, obscurely 3-veined, acute with an apical awn, the awn to c. 8 mm long, hairy in patches along back, also sometimes with short hairs at apex; florets 2; lower lemma lanceolate, minute, 0.5–0.8 mm long [difficult to dissect and observe], sterile, hyaline, lower palea absent or insignificant; upper lemma c. 2.5 mm long (including bristles), apex dentate or bifid with 2 obscure hyaline bristles and a well-developed median awn, the median awn 30–50 mm long, twisted, geniculate and hairy along groove; upper palea absent or insignificant.
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