Strong tufts spreading outwards from ± open centre, very shortly rhizomatous, mostly glabrous apart from apical tuft of hairs but not invariably so; leaves slightly < mature culms; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous, usually glabrous but some with long, scattered to very occasionally abundant, fine hairs, rarely all sheaths hairy; apical tuft of hairs to 4 mm. Ligule 0.2-0.8 mm. Leaf-blade flat, or margins inrolled, to 40 cm × 3.5 mm, glabrous, occasionally a few scattered long hairs, margins finely scabrid. Culm to 75-(85) cm, internodes smooth but finely scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle narrow, long-branched, to 15-(18) cm, of large spikelets on short slender pedicels; rachis and pedicels densely short-scabrid, occasionally with a few longer hairs below spikelets and at branch axils. Spikelets (3)-4-6-(8)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes purplish centrally, lanceolate, acute or subacute, ± equal, (7.5)-10-12 mm, both 5-(7)-nerved. Lemma 2-3 mm, 9-nerved, both upper and lower rows of hairs dense, continuous, upper row < lemma lobes, lower row only reaching base of upper, some few scattered hairs elsewhere and on margins; lobes (4)-5-7 mm, gradually tapering to fine awns; central awn (6)-9-12 mm, column (1)-2-3 mm, ≥ palea, usually ≈ upper lemma hairs. Palea 4-5 mm, slightly < upper lemma hairs, interkeel glabrous or rarely a few hairs, margins a few long hairs or glabrous. Callus 0.5-0.8 mm, with marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.4-0.6-(0.7) mm. Anthers 0.3-0.8 and 1-1.6 mm. Caryopsis 1.6-1.8 × 0.8-0.9 mm; embryo 0.8 mm; hilum 0.5 mm. Plate 12F.
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