Plants forming loose hummocks, mats or large clumps to 0.6 m high, to 1.5 m wide, resinous on leaves and sometimes spikelets, aromatic. Flowering culms 0.6–1.5 m high. Leaves: sheath ±loose, persistent, to 8 mm wide, not auriculate, many-nerved, glabrous; orifice bearded with straight hairs to 8 mm long and usually resin-matted; blade erect or reflexed, folded, to 50 cm long, 1.3 mm wide, not pseudopetiolate, with stout and often reflexed or curved prickles along margin. Panicles usually loose, 14–53 cm long, 3–5 cm wide; branches simple or divided, flat or triquetrous; primary branches to 17 cm long, usually naked near base; secondary branches to 3.5 cm long. Spikelets close together or distant, lanceolate, 4–8 mm long, closely (becoming loosely) 4–8-flowered; pedicel 2–11 mm long. Glumes ovate, 3.5–5 mm long, obtuse or sometimes acute, entire or emarginate, muticous, scarious or cartilaginous, glabrous; lower glume 5-nerved; upper glume 3-nerved. Basal lemma ovate-orbicular, 3–4 mm long, cartilaginous to crustaceous, 9-nerved (in 3 groups of 3), glabrous except on margins; lobes ±equal, broad, flat, to 0.6 mm long; midlobe narrower and sometimes longer than laterals, acuminate. Palea elliptic, subequal to lemma body, entire, cartilaginous; body glabrous; keels narrowly winged. Anthers 1.4–2 mm long.
Grows in sandstone ranges and gorges, often in crevices and amongoutcrops, or in coarse sand near perennial streams.
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