Perennials, erect or geniculate, caespitose. Flowering culms to 70 cm high. Leaves: basal leaf sheath margins glabrous; ligule a fringe of hairs, to 0.7 mm long; blade flat or convolute, filiform, 3–17 cm long, to 4 mm wide, with smooth margins. Inflorescences paniculate, irregular, open, 9–22 cm long, with spikelets ±clustered on branches; primary branches whorled at the lowermost panicle node, not all whorled, equalling or longer than adjacent internodes, appressed (when young) to spreading, without spikelets in the lower quarter, with spikelets loosely spaced and fairly even. Spikelets contracted about secondary branches, subsessile or pedicellate, 1.5–2 mm long; pedicel 0.5–3 mm long. Glumes linear; lower glume 0.5–0.7 mm long, acute, without nerves; upper glume slightly shorter than spikelet, 1.2–2 mm long. Lemma elliptic, 1.5–2 mm long, obtuse, 1-nerved. Palea subequal to lemma, entire. Anthers 3, to 0.4 mm long. Grain elliptic or obovate, quadrangular, 0.7–0.9 mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm wide, to 0.2 mm thick, wrinkled, brown. Embryo less than half as long as grain.
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