Perennial, or sometimes annual, loosely tufted, 1–20 in. high. Culms suberect, or ascending from a short decumbent base and repeatedly geniculate, 2–5-noded, slender, glaucous, finely striate, minutely tomentose, clothed at the base with pale firm cataphylls which are densely and minutely hairy and with or without soft long hairs; intermediate internodes exserted. Leaves glaucous; lower sheaths loose, thin, pallid, wide, hairy like the cataphylls, the upper firmer, somewhat tumid, hairy like the lower or asperulous, villous at the nodes; ligule a densely ciliate rim; blade linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or narrowly ovate, pungent, 1/4–2 1/2 in. long, flat or involute, up to 2 1/2 lin. wide at the base, rigid, finally disarticulating from the sheath, tomentose all over or only on the upper surface. Panicle dense, narrow, enveloped at the base by the broad uppermost leaf-sheath, or finally exserted, 1/2–8 in. long, 1/4– 3/4 in. wide; rhachis slender, scaberulous, more or less puberulous; branches erect, short, closely divided from the base, scaberulous, puberulous; lateral pedicels very short. Spikelets crowded, 3 1/2–4 1/2 lin. long, straw-coloured or tinged with purple. Glumes subequal, as long as the spikelet, elliptic or ovate-elliptic when flattened, acute, becoming chartaceous, prominently 7–9-nerved, glabrous, or often minutely pubescent downwards, scaberulous, especially on the nerves. Florets 2–3; callus very slender, pungent, about 1/2 lin. long, shortly bearded. Valves oblong in profile, 1 1/6–1 1/3 lin. long (entire part), becoming coriaceous, 9-nerved, with dense rows of short white (rarely fulvous) hairs between the nerves extending to the base of the lobes, the outer rows (1–3) ending in small tufts of spreading hairs about as long as the lobes; lobes lanceolate to narrowly ovate, acute, 1 (rarely 1 1/4) lin. long; awn erect or slightly geniculate, 1 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long, sometimes slightly twisted below the middle. Valvules narrowly oblong, obtuse, 1 1/2–1 3/4 lin. long, scabrid or minutely ciliolate on the keels. Lodicules glabrous. Anthers 1/2– 2/3 lin. long. Grain oblanceolate-oblong, 1 lin. long.