perennial, densely tufted, dwarf, 1–2 1/2 in. high; culms slender, smooth, 1–2-noded, sheathed all along; leaves crowded at the base; lower sheaths flabellate, glabrous, firm, strongly striate, persistent; ligule extremely short, hyaline; blades very narrow, linear, or usually setaceously folded, subacute, 1/2–1 1/4 in. by 3/8– 1/2 lin. (when unfolded), rigid, with a few very fine spreading hairs or quite glabrous, scaberulous on the upper side, smooth below; spike 1/2– 3/4 in. long, erect, straight, very slender, with the base enclosed in the uppermost sheath; rhachis slender, quadrangular, sides striate; spikelets 1–1 1/2 lin. long, 1-flowered; rhachilla continued as a short glabrous bristle; lower glume of lateral spikelets suppressed, upper lanceolate-subulate, acute or acuminate, 1 1/4–1 1/2 lin. long, rigid, except at the hyaline margins, 3-nerved; valve lanceolate in profile, 3-toothed, 1 lin. long, hyaline, 3-nerved, nerves percurrent or very shortly excurrent; anthers linear, 1/4 lin. long; grain linear-oblong, subterete. null
