Plants forming hummocks 0.1–1.1 m high, 0.05–1 m wide, sometimes resinous. Flowering culms 0.6–2.1 m high, often purplish or bluish. Leaves: resinous (especially near sheath) or not resinous; lower sheaths overlapping, sometimes pubescent or hirsute; orifice with hairs 4–6 mm long; blade straight, folded, 9–25 cm long, 0.8–1 mm wide, scabrid on margins, often shiny. Panicles linear to oblong or lanceolate, usually dense, 10–19 (–30) cm long, 2–3 (–5) cm wide; axis angular; branches to 13 cm long. Spikelets linear-lanceolate or narrow-cuneate, 10–30 mm long (excluding lemma awns); pedicels of lateral spikelets c. 2 mm long, with terminal pedicels to c. 20 mm long; florets 4–8 (–14), with upper 2 or 3 usually sterile; rachilla internodes 2–3 mm long. Glumes linearlanceolate, ±equal or upper to 3 mm longer, ±as long as spikelet (excluding awns), long-acuminate or aristulate, scarious with membranous margins, carinate or rounded on back, 7–11-nerved, glabrous, silvery or maturing straw-coloured. Callus 1–1.5 mm long, acute to pungent, bearded except midnerve and tip. Basal lemma: body 2–5 (–8) mm long, coriaceous to indurated with curved transverse line or ridge c. 2 mm below base of lobes, purple-brown and usually pubescent below line, glabrous above; midlobe (including awn) 14–30 mm long; lateral lobes (with awns) 8–22 mm long; awns sometimes recurved or flexuose. Palea ±equal to lemma body, entire or emarginate or 2-lobed, membranous-coriaceous and brown-purple in lower 3/4, abruptly hyaline and colourless above; keels usually winged; flaps with hyaline margins, sometimes extended as lobes. Anthers 3–4 mm long.
Grows chiefly onplains, dunes, sandhills, swales and pindan (Acacia shrubland) in deep, red sands,sandy loams, clayey sands and sandy red earths; also on alluvial creek levees,laterite, limestone and slates.
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