Perennial, cæspitose. Culms erect, few-noded, slender, 2–2 1/2 ft. high, glabrous, uppermost internodes long-exserted. Leaf-sheaths tight, striate, the lower more or less hirsute, at length glabrescent, the upper appressedly hairy or nearly glabrous except at the bearded nodes; ligules membranous, very short; blades linear, long-tapering to an acute point, flat when fresh, hirsute on the back, scabrid on the margins, of the innovations over 1 ft. long, up to 2 lin. wide, of the stem much shorter and narrower. Panicle narrow, of 3–5 racemes, on a glabrous common axis, lowest internodes 1/2 in. long, rarely longer; racemes erect, the lowest sometimes peduncled or like the following sessile to subsessile and solitary, much shorter than the terminal which may be up to 3 in. long; joints slender, 2 1/2–3 lin. long, smooth, ciliate with white hairs about 1 lin. long; pedicels similar, shorter. Spikelets lanceolate-oblong, olive-brown to fuscous, 3–3 1/2 lin. long, with short hairs from the callus. Glumes equal; lower rather firm, chartaceous, minutely truncate and obscurely 2-toothed, more or less flat on the back, somewhat shining and loosely hairy, margins narrowly inflexed, intracarinal nerves 5–7, with transverse veins, extracarinal usually 1 on each side; upper narrowly lanceolate-oblong, subacute or minutely truncate, 5-nerved, with faint transverse nerves, ciliate, very sparingly hairy. Valve of lower floret oblong, obtuse or minutely 2-dentate, hyaline, 2-nerved, ciliolate; of upper floret lanceolate, 2-lobed to one-third, with the lobes narrow and acute, hyaline, 3-nerved at the base, ciliolate, awned; awn up to 6 lin. long, kneed at the middle, twisted below. Valvule 0. Anthers 2 lin. long. Styles 1/2 lin. long; stigmas 1 lin. long, dark purple.
