perennial; culms erect, 2 1/2–4 ft., glabrous, 4–6-noded; sheaths rather tight, glabrous or ciliate along the margins or hirsute; ligules extremely short, ciliolate; blades linear, tapering to a long fine point, from a few inches to more than 1 ft. by 2–4 lin., flat or convolute, rigid, glabrous, margins rough; panicle linear-oblong to oblong, contracted or open, up to 1 ft. long; branches solitary or 2-, rarely 3–4-, nate, the longest up to 3 in. long, stiff, scabrid; spikelets subsecund, 2–2 1/2 lin. long; lower glume ovate-oblong, mucronate, 1 1/2–2 lin. long, 3-, rarely 4–5-, nerved; upper glume ovate-lanceolate, 2–5 lin. long, 5-nerved; lower floret ♂; valve linear-oblong, subacute, 1 3/4–2 lin. long, sub-7-nerved; pale linear-oblong, 1 1/2 lin. long, keels winged below, scaberulous above; lodicules present; anthers 3/4 lin. long; hermaphrodite floret: valve oblong, obscurely bifid, 1 1/2 lin. long, thin, minutely scaberulous; callus minutely 2-bearded; awn fine, column dark brown, 1 1/2 lin. long, bristle whitish, 1 lin. long; pale linear, 1 1/4 lin. long, scaberulous between the keels; lodicules and stamens as in the ♂ floret. null
