perennial, compactly tufted; culms erect, 1–3 ft. long, glabrous, or more or less hairy, usually 2-noded with the uppermost internode long exserted; sheaths strongly striate, rather tight, more or less hairy, lowest fugaciously tomentose, firm, persistent; ligules very short, truncate; blades linear from a slightly or distinctly narrowed base, acute, 3–12 in. by 2–3 lin., flat, firm, rigid, strongly and closely nerved, softly hirsute with tubercle-based hairs; racemes 2–5, digitate or subdigitate, suberect, usually straight, rather stout and dense, often subsecund, 1 1/2–3 in. long, rarely longer, subsessile or some distinctly peduncled; rhachis slender, angular, hairy, at least below; pedicels mostly 2-nate, angular, scabrid or pubescent, very short, up to 2 lin. long; spikelets ovate-oblong, 2 1/2–3 lin. long, very slightly compressed, light green, usually tinged with purple or quite purplish; lower glume ovate, mucronulate, 1/2– 3/4 the length of the spikelet, glabrous or minutely pubescent at the tip; upper glume ovate-oblong, densely villous along the margins; valve of ♂ floret finely woolly above near the margins, of hermaphrodite floret oblong, scantily and finely ciliate, produced into a fine mucro or short awn (up to 1 1/2 lin. long); anthers up to 1 3/4 lin. long. null
