A densely tufted perennial, up to 3 ft. high. Culms erect, slender, simple, villous towards the panicle with long white hairs, 2–3-noded; nodes bearded with short silky hairs. Leaf-sheaths shorter than the internodes, tight, glabrous or sparingly villous upwards from dark brown tubercles; ligule a densely ciliolate rim; blade narrowly linear, setaceously acute, up to 8 in. long and 1 lin. wide, flat or convolute, sparingly villous or glabrous, scaberulous on the margins. Panicle lanceolate, contracted, up to 8 in. long and 2 in. wide; rhachis, branches and pedicels villous all over with rather long white hairs; branches paired or solitary, filiform, up to 2 in. long, loosely divided with short closely spiculate branchlets; lateral pedicels very short. Spikelets paired or solitary, lanceolate, 5–5 1/2 lin. long, reddish-brown or dark brown. Glumes acute, 3-nerved, sparsely to densely hispid with long spreading white hairs from minute dark brown or black tubercles; lower lanceolate to ovate, up to two-thirds the length of the upper, sometimes produced at the apex into a short bristle; upper lanceolate, very acute, as long as the spikelet or slightly shorter, sometimes tipped with a bristle like the lower. Lower floret ♂: valve lanceolate, acute, as long as the spikelet, glabrous and smooth, or hispidulous on the back; valvule lanceolate-oblong, up to three-fourths the length of the valve, glabrous. Upper floret linear-oblong: callus acute, up to 1/2 lin. long, densely bearded; valve about 1 3/4 lin. long, finely 9-nerved, sparsely pubescent with appressed white hairs, 2-lobed at the apex, with the lobes very short and acute; awn geniculate, up to 1 in. long; column setulose-scabrid, about 5 lin. long; valvule as long as the valve. Stamens 3.
