culms tufted, 1/3–1 ft. long, geniculate, ascending, slender, glabrous, 2–3-noded; sheaths lax or the upper tumid, glabrous, smooth; ligules truncate, up to 1/2 lin. long; blades linear, acute or mucronate, 1/2–1 1/2 in. by 1–1 1/4 lin., subrigid, softly hairy above, smooth or scaberulous below; panicle narrow, oblong, 1/2–2 in. long, sometimes reduced to a raceme, flaccid; rhachis flexuous, filiform; branches 2–3-nate, short, flexuous, capillary, smooth, 1–3-spiculate; pedicels subclavate, scaberulous; spikelets secund, nodding; glumes subequal, lanceolate, acuminate, 2–3 lin. long, membranous, finely 7-nerved, glabrous, margins and back white hyaline; empty valves subequal, lanceolate, acuminate, 2–3 lin. long, produced into a scaberulous purplish awn, up to 1 lin. long, 3-nerved, loosely villous, the lower minutely bearded at the base, the upper with ear-shaped appendages; fertile valve oblong, subobtuse, 2–2 1/2 lin. long, delicately 7-nerved, scantily hairy; lodicules glabrous; stamens 6; anthers 3/8 lin. long; stigmas brush-like. null