Culms erect, over 2 ft. high, rather slender, terete, simple or more often branched from below with the branches appressed; internodes more or less exserted, glabrous or appressedly hairy upwards. Leaves subglaucous; sheaths tight, terete, striate, glabrous or more or less hirsute, bearded at the nodes; ligules a line of stiff hairs, up to 2 lin. long; blades linear, long-attenuated to a fine point, slightly contracted at the base, up to 8 in. long and 6 lin. wide (basal leaves not known), more or less hairy on both sides or almost whitish-tomentose beneath, margins spinulously ciliate, lateral nerves about 3–4 on each side, hardly prominent, midrib slender, whitish. Racemes solitary, 2 to almost 3 in. long, on long and very slender exserted peduncles which are pubescent upwards; joints and pedicels parallel, linear-clavate, subequal or equal, the former very thin, the latter slightly convex on the back, about 1 1/2 lin. long, densely ciliate from the angles and more or less so along a median line on the back, otherwise glabrous and glossy, disarticulating subhorizontally. Sessile spikelets lanceolate, subacuminate, up to 2 1/2 lin. long, pale green, without a distinct callus. Lower glume linear, narrow in profile, keels more or less ciliate, intracarinal nerves none; upper glume slightly exceeding the lower, obliquely lanceolate in profile, finely 7-nerved, with obscure transverse veins, minutely ciliolate. Lower floret ♂, about 2 lin. long: valve oblong, subacute, very faintly 3-nerved; valvule similar but narrower and 2-nerved. Anthers 1 lin. long. Upper floret ♀, about as long as the lower: valve oblong, 2-lobed beyond the middle, with the lobes narrowly lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved at the base, eciliate, awn up to 5 lin. long, slender, column spirally twisted, smooth along the spirals, bristle as long as the column, scaberulous; valvule linear-oblong, obtuse, 2-nerved. Anthers rudimentary, very small, on short filaments. Stigmas over 1 1/2 lin. long, purple. Pedicelled spikelets linear-oblong in profile, obtuse, very pale green, edged with purple on one side, 3–3 1/2 lin. long, glabrous. Glumes equal; lower lanceolate, slightly prominently 7-nerved; upper glume linear-lanceolate in profile, with a narrow wing from the middle upwards, about 7-nerved, nerves faint, tips purple. Florets similar to the lower floret of the sessile spikelet. Anthers of lower floret over 1 1/2 lin. long, of upper 1 lin. long.
