Plants forming rings, crescents or dense hummocks 0.2–0.7 m high, 0.4–1 m wide, rhizomatous. Culms many-noded; lower internodes covered with overlapping sheaths. Flowering culms 38–75 cm high. Leaves: sheath hairy between nerves or glabrous, ciliate on upper margins; orifice with straight or woolly hairs; blade straight, stiffly spreading, folded, 2–8 cm long, scabrous-pubescent above and on pseudopetiole, closely nerved on lower surface. Panicles loose, sparse, 7–9 (–16) cm long, (1.5–) 4–6 cm wide, purple when young; some spikelets borne directly on axis; branches (1.5–) 4–6 cm long. Spikelets cuneate, 10–12 mm long excluding awns, closely 4–6-flowered; pedicel 5–20 (–34) mm long; rachilla internodes 1–2 mm long. Glumes ±equal, lanceolate, 9–13 (–18) mm long, entire, acuminate (or sometimes awn-like), cartilaginous, 3–5 (–9)-nerved, glabrous, becoming straw-yellow with age. Callus acute, c. 1 mm long, densely bearded. Basal lemma 3.5–6 mm long (body), cartilaginous to indurated with hyaline margins, many-nerved, ciliate along both sides of midnerve at least near base; midlobe (including awn) 10–15 mm long; lateral lobes (with awns) 10–12 mm long. Palea usually 1–2 mm longer than its lemma body (rarely shorter), membranous, body and flaps pubescent except near base; keels ciliate. Anthers 3–3.8 mm long.
Grows in red,yellow and brown, often deep, sands and loamy sands on hill slopes and sand plainsin association with shale, limestone and laterite.
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