Perennial; up to 0.3 m high; mat-forming rhizome long; deeply buried. Leaf blade 20-100 x 3.04.5 mm; mostly inrolled; rigid; old leaf sheaths not splitting into fibres. Flowers: inflorescence ovate; branches not whorled; < 3 x longer than wide; spikelets 1.8-2.9 mm long; glumes unequal; usually keeled along whole length or at least at apex; keel scabrid; lower glume 2/3 to slightly shorter than spikelet; upper glume 3/4 to slightly longer than spikelet; lemmas ovate-elliptic; apex acute.
Mat-forming perennial 130-320 mm high; rhizome long, deeply buried. Leaf blade 20-100 x 3.0-4.5 mm, mostly inrolled, rigid. Inflorescence ovate, branches not whorled, less than 3 x longer than wide. Spikelet 1.8-2.9 mm long; glumes unequal, usually keeled along whole length or at least at apex, keel scabrid; lower glume 2/3 to slightly shorter than spikelet; upper glume 3/4 to slightly longer than spikelet; lemma ovate-elliptic, apex acute; anther 1.2-1.5 mm long.