A densely tufted perennial, with numerous intravaginal innovations. Culms erect or slightly geniculate, 1 1/4–4 ft. high, slender to moderately stout, simple, 1–2-noded, scaberulous beneath the panicle, otherwise glabrous and smooth; lower internodes enclosed in the leaf-sheaths or shortly exserted, the uppermost (peduncle) at length long-exserted. Leaves mostly basal; sheaths loose, asperulous or nearly smooth; ligule acute, 3–6 lin. long, scarious-membranous; blade narrowly linear, junciform, pungent, up to 1 1/2 ft. long, subterete and tightly involute or slightly compressed and plicate-involute, 1/3– 1/2 lin. in diameter, rigid, erect, scaberulous. Panicle ovate to oblong, loose or more or less contracted, 4–12 in. long, up to 4 1/2 in. wide, flexuous; rhachis scaberulous; branches fascicled, finely filiform, flexuous, scabrid, the lower up to 5 in. long; pedicels 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long. Spikelets oblong, 2 3/4–4 lin. long, green or purplish, with yellowish or brownish tips; rhachilla-internodes 3/4–1 lin. long, hairy. Glumes scarious-membranous, acute, scaberulous on the keel upwards; lower narrowly oblong, 2 1/2–3 1/2 lin. long, 1-nerved; upper narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 2 3/4–3 3/4 lin. long. Florets 2–3. Valves elliptic- to ovate-oblong, lacerate-truncate or 4-toothed at the apex, 2–2 1/2 lin. long, membranous, asperulous, awned from near the base; awn slightly geniculate and sometimes slightly twisted below the bend, capillary, 2–4 lin. long. Valvules linear, 2-fid, keels scabridly ciliolate or scabrid. Anthers 1 1/4–1 1/2 lin. long.
