Stiff, rather dark purple-green tussocks; leaves semi-pungent, somewhat < culms, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous below, purplish above, usually glabrous or with some scattered long hairs; apical tuft of hairs 3-4-(6) mm. Ligule (0.2)-0.8-1.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 35 cm, stiff, inrolled, glabrous or occasionally scattered long hairs, margins often scabrid above ligule and near tip. Culm to 45-(55) cm, internodes smooth or sometimes fine-scabrid below inflorescence. Panicle ± erect, to 10 cm, of few large spikelets on very slender pedicels; rachis and pedicels closely short-scabrid with some long hairs occasionally at branch axils. Spikelets 3-4-(5)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes blackish purple centrally, linear-lanceolate, subobtuse, (6)-8-12 mm, ± equal; lower 5-(7)-nerved, upper 3-(5)-nerved. Lemma 2.5-3 mm, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs very dense and continuous, upper row ≥ lemma lobes, lower row overlapping upper, shorter hairs scattered elsewhere; lobes (3.7)-4-4.7 mm, tapering to fine awn; central awn 8-11 mm, column 1-1.5 mm, ≈ palea, < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.5-4.5 mm, reaching about ½ way up upper lemma hairs, long hairs on interkeel below and on margins. Callus c. 0.5 mm, marginal hair tufts long, abundant, much overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.7-1 mm. Anthers (0.8)-1-1.5-(2) mm. Caryopsis 1.4-1.7 × 0.6-0.7 mm; embryo 0.5-0.8 mm; hilum 0.3 mm. Plate 11F.
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