Plants forming hummocks 0.6–3 m high, 0.5–2 m wide, stoloniferous, glaucous; usually with droplets of brown secretion (not sticky resin) on leaf blades, lemmas and paleas. Flowering culms 0.6–1 m above hummocks. Leaves: sheath glabrous or with straight shining hairs; orifice ciliate; blade straight, to 15 cm long, pilose on upper surface or glabrous, hirsute or scabrous on pseudopetiole. Panicles spiciform, continuous, 15–25 cm long, 1 cm wide; branches erect, alternate, to 4 (–7) cm long; axis sometimes unbranched near top. Spikelets elliptic or cuneate, plump, 6–10 mm long, c. 4 mm wide, closely 3–5-flowered, shortly pedicellate; rachilla internodes c. 0.5 mm long, thick. Glumes lanceolate or oblong, 6–7 mm long, with mucro to 1 mm long, scarious to indurated, prominently 3-nerved, glabrous. Callus subacute. Basal lemma 6–8 mm long; body not abruptly bitextured, hirsute on most of body or near base and midnerve, with surface pustulate below the hairs; lobes narrow-triangular or subulate, scaberulous; midlobe to 2.2 mm long, exceeding laterals. Palea longer than lemma body, scarious to indurated, not abruptly bitextured; body glabrous; keels narrowly winged. Anthers 3 mm long.
Growson volcanic and limestone outcrops, brown clays, calcareous and stony soils on creekbanks, hillslopes and laterite-capped mesas.
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