Open tufts, rather stiffly erect; leaves about ½ length of culms to only slightly shorter; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath brownish or often purplish above, glabrous or long-hairy; apical tuft of hairs 1.5-2.5 mm. Ligule ± 0.2 mm. Leaf-blade to 15-(20) cm, usually folded, sometimes flat and margins inrolled, to 2 mm wide, glabrous or often a few scattered long hairs near collar, sometimes almost all leaves with some long hairs, margins occasionally finely scabrid. Culm to 30-(50) cm, internodes smooth but minutely scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle usually erect, dark purple, to 3.5-(8.5) cm; rachis and pedicels densely but shortly scabrid, often with very slightly longer hairs above branch axils. Spikelets 3-(4)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes usually dark purplish centrally, lanceolate, acute to acuminate, 6.5-9 mm, ± equal, 3-(5)-nerved. Lemma 1.5-2.5 mm, 9-nerved, upper row of hairs continuous, > or ≈ lemma lobes, lower row of marginal tufts and a few weak central tufts, or ± continuous, elsewhere predominantly glabrous, occasionally some few isolated hairs between rows, margins hair-fringed; lobes 2.7-3.5 mm, tapering, awnless or very finely awn-tipped; central awn 6-8.5 mm, column 1-1.5 mm < upper lemma hairs. Palea 2.5-3 mm, « upper lemma hairs, interkeel and margins glabrous or occasionally 1-2 long hairs. Callus 0.2-0.3-(0.5) mm, a few short scattered marginal hairs not, or barely, reaching lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.8-1.2 mm. Anthers 0.5-0.8-(1.1) mm. Caryopsis 1.1-1.3 × 0.6 mm; embryo 0.5-0.7 mm; hilum 0.2-0.3 mm. 2n= 24. Plate 12H.
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