A densely tufted perennial. Culms erect, up to 2 1/2 ft. high, moderately slender, simple, 1–2-noded, glabrous and smooth; lower internodes enclosed in the leaf-sheaths, the uppermost (peduncle) at length exserted. Leaf-sheaths striate, glabrous, rough upwards or quite smooth; ligule narrow, acutely acuminate, 5–9 lin. long, subchartaceous; blade linear, acute, up to 1 1/4 ft. or more long, 1 1/2–2 1/4 lin. wide, flat, or rolled when dry, rather rigid, sulcate on the upper surface, scabrid on the ridges and margins, scaberulous on the lower surface. Panicle oblong, loose, about 8 in. long, 2–2 1/2 in. wide; rhachis scaberulous on one side, very slender; branches finely filiform, flexuous, minutely scaberulous, the lower 2–5-nate, up to 4 1/2 in. long; pedicels up to 2 1/2 lin. long. Spikelets linear, at length widely gaping, 3 1/2–4 1/2 lin. long, green, tinged with purple, and with golden tips; rhachilla-internodes 3/4–1 lin. long, hairy. Glumes straight along the keel, membranous, with narrow hyaline margins and tips, scaberulous on the keel upwards; lower linear to narrowly lanceolate, acute, 3–3 3/4 lin. long, 1-nerved; upper narrowly elliptic-linear to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 3 1/2–4 1/2 lin. long, 3-nerved. Florets 2–3. Valves lanceolate-oblong to oblong, 2–2 1/2 lin. long, obtusely 2-lobed, with the lobes minutely lacerate, membranous, asperulous upwards, awned from near the base; awn capillary, straight, up to 2 1/2 lin. long. Valvules linear, with scabridly ciliolate keels. Anthers 3/4–1 1/4 lin. long, with apiculate tips.
