A densely tufted perennial; innovations intravaginal. Culms erect, 1 1/2–4 1/4 ft. high, slender, terete, simple, 2–3-noded, smooth, glabrous, or sparingly hairy towards the panicle, rarely pubescent all over. Leaves mostly basal; sheaths finely striate, the lowest rather broad, persistent, softly villous or glabrescent at the base, loosely pilose or glabrous upwards, the upper shorter than the internodes, smooth, glabrous except for the usually bearded nodes; ligule a densely ciliate rim; blade narrowly linear, tapering to a fine setaceous point, up to 10 in. long and 2 lin. wide, flat, or involute when dry, rather rigid, minutely puberulous to loosely pilose on the upper surface and asperulous on the nerves, scantily hairy on the lower from minute tubercles, or glabrous. Panicle flexuous, 3–10 in. long, 3/4–4 in. wide, loose or contracted; rhachis minutely puberulous or pubescent, or glabrous and scaberulous; branches 2–4-nate, loosely divided, filiform, scaberulous or minutely puberulous, the lowest up to 3 in. long; lateral pedicels 1/2–2 lin. long. Spikelets lanceolate to narrowly oblong and gaping, 5–7 1/2 lin. long, yellowish-brown to dark brown. Glumes chartaceous, 3-nerved, glabrous, rarely minutely hispid near the margins; lower ovate to narrowly ovate-oblong or elliptic-ovate, acute, sometimes mucronate, 2–3 1/2 lin. long; upper lanceolate, acuminate, with a finely acute tip, 4–5 1/2 lin. long. Lower floret ♂: valve similar to the upper glume, but as long as the spikelet, 3-nerved, usually glabrous; valvule linear-lanceolate, acute or minutely bifid, 3 lin. long. Upper floret linear: callus pungent, 1/4– 1/2 lin. long, villous; valve 2–2 1/2 lin. long, minutely and acutely 2-lobed, thinly coriaceous, finely 7–9-nerved, pubescent; awn slender, up to 1 1/3 in. long; column minutely pubescent, up to 7 lin. long; valvule linear, truncate, 2 1/2 lin. long. Anthers 3, up to 1 3/4 lin. long.
