Plants forming loose, irregular hummocks (rarely ring-forming) 0.3–0.6 m high, 0.2–1.2 m wide, often stoloniferous, usually lightly resinous, aromatic when resin fresh. Flowering culms 0.6–2 m high. Leaves usually viscid near ligule, sometimes all over; basal sheaths tightly overlapping, often shiny-brown; sheath margin and orifice long-ciliate; blade curled or flexuose, folded, 10–45 cm long, 0.5–0.7 mm wide, finely pungent with prickly margins, shiny green when young. Panicles lanceolate to narrow-oblong, usually loose, 10–30 cm long, 2–5 cm wide; axis grooved; branches to 11 cm long. Spikelets lanceolate-oblong or cuneate, 9–20 mm long excluding awns; pedicel to 20 mm long (mostly much shorter); florets 5–9 (2–6 fertile), usually loose; rachilla internodes to 2 mm long. Glumes ±equal in length, lanceolate, 7–15 mm long, acuminate or aristulate (awnlet to 5 mm long), scarious, keeled at least upwards, glabrous, sometimes one or both glumes 3-lobed and midlobe with awn to 5 mm long; upper glume usually 3-nerved; lower glume 5 (–7)-nerved. Callus 0.5–0.7 mm long, blunt, mostly white-bearded. Basal lemma: body usually 3–5 mm long including callus, coriaceous, with transverse line on outside (and usually thickened inside) below base of lobes, appressed-pubescent; lobes attenuated into awns, erect or gently recurved, with midlobe (including awn) 9–20 mm long and lateral lobes to 10 mm shorter. Palea ±equal to lemma body or to 1.5 mm longer, entire or 2-lobed, coriaceous in lower 1/2–3/4, abruptly hyaline in upper part with scaberulous margins, often hairy; keels shorter than body, winged in upper part; flap margins hyaline, excurrent as small teeth. Anthers c. 2.7 mm long.
Found in deep sandy soils or silty sands on plains and dunes, andin shallow often stony or gravelly soils on hillslopes, scree slopes, ridges andplateaux of sandstone, quartzite, laterite, and calcareous or volcanic rocks,also in or near watercourses and flood plains, occasionally on heavy clay soilsand in saline habitats.
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