Plants forming hummocks to 0.7 m high, to 0.4 m wide. Flowering culms to 0.9 m high. Leaves: sheath and orifice with straight, tangled or woolly hairs c. 1 mm long; blade permanently folded, 8–28 cm long, 0.7–1 mm wide, scabrous-papillose on upper surface, sometimes hairy on and near pseudopetiole. Panicles open, often irregular in outline, 9–15 cm long, about 2.5 cm wide; axis and branches compressed or angular-triquetrous; branches to 3 cm long. Spikelets lanceolate or linear or cuneate, 8–14 mm long, 3.5–5 (–10) mm wide; pedicel 3–15 mm long; loosely (3–) 4–7-flowered; rachilla scaberulous with internodes 1.5–2 mm long. Glumes lanceolate, usually unequal, 7–13 mm long (longer glume sometimes exceeding remainder of spikelet), entire, acuminate, scarious, rounded near base or carinate, 1–3 (–5)-nerved, sparsely hairy near margins or glabrous. Callus 0.7 mm long, acute, bearded. Basal lemma lanceolate-oblong, 7.5–10 mm long, membranous to scarious, often cartilaginous near base, 3-or 9-nerved (in 3 groups of 3), with slender white or golden hairs except near tip; lobes 2, similar, 0.3 mm long, sometimes with slightly longer mucro from sinus. Palea ±equal to lemma or c. 1 mm shorter, entire or notched, glabrous or hairy near base; body membranous throughout or cartilaginous near base; keels rounded near base; flaps cartilaginous and usually glabrous with hyaline margins. Anthers 2.8–5 mm long.
Recorded on flats, plains and gentle slopes in red sandy, gravelly soils overlimestone and laterite or with granite outcrops.
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