perennial, densely tufted; culms erect, simple, slender, terete, 1–1 1/2 ft. long, glabrous, smooth, about 3-noded, upper 2 internodes exserted; sheaths glabrous, striate, lowest pallid, about 2 in. long, shortly tomentose at the insertion; ligule a fringe of minute hairs; blades narrow, linear, tapering to a setaceous point or setaceously filiform almost from the base, 4–8 in. by 1 lin. when flat, glabrous, rather firm, flexuous, smooth below, densely scaberulous on the prominent nerves on the whitish upper side; panicle ovoid to lanceolate, erect or nodding, 3–5 in. long, lax, open or more or less contracted; axis angular, glabrous, smooth, very slender; branches 2-nate or solitary, suberect or more or less spreading, distantly divided from 1/3–1 in. above the base, subcapillary, flexuous or finally rigid, subcompressed, smooth or scaberulous, glabrous at the axils, the longest up to 2 1/2 in. long; branchlets capillary, contracted or divaricate, few- to 1-spiculate; pedicels very fine, scaberulous, the lateral 1/2–2 lin. long; spikelets oblong to linear, acute, 1 1/2–2 1/2 lin. by 1/2– 2/3 lin., loosely 4–9-flowered, variegated; rhachilla very slender, scaberulous, disarticulating; glumes subpersistent oblong-lanceolate, acute to subobtuse, 1-nerved, subhyaline, lower 1/2 lin. long, or almost so, upper 2/3 lin. long; valves broadly oblong in profile, obtuse or subobtuse, somewhat turgid, 3/4 lin. long, smooth, slightly shining, usually purple with yellowish tips, side-nerves stout, though not very distinct, short; pales equal or subequal to the valves, keels fine, scaberulous; anthers almost 1/2 lin. long. null
