Caespitose perennial, often rather few-leaved. Culms 13–60 (–105) cm high, with bases usually enclosed in brown fibrous remains of old sheaths; mid-culm internodes glabrous. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves: basal sheaths with margins free, glabrous, sometimes minutely scabrous, sometimes purplish; ligule 0.9–4.5 mm long, truncate to shortly acuminate or jagged, apically ciliolate, abaxially glabrous to puberulous; blade flat to closely folded, 4–18 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, narrowly hooded at apex, thickish and ±shining, adaxially glabrous, abaxially usually glabrous or minutely scabrous. Panicles narrowly contracted, often arcuate or drooping, 4.5–14 cm long. Spikelets plump, 4.5–6.8 mm long, with (2–) 3 (–4) closely imbricate bisexual florets. Glumes 3 (–5)-nerved, with lateral nerves short: lower glume 3.4–4.5 mm long; upper glume 4.3–5.1 mm long. Web absent but callus occasionally pubescent adaxially. Lemma 3.8–5.5 mm long, 5–7-nerved, with midnerve sometimes exserted as a terminal or subapical mucro to c. 0.5 mm long; nerves and intercostal regions glabrous to scaberulous. Anthers 1–1.5 mm long.
Usually in rockyalpine and subalpine meadows, herbfields and, occasionally, eucalypt woodlandsfrom 700–2100 m.
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