Perennial, densely cæspitose with numerous tough root-fibres and intra- and extra-vaginal innovations, the buds of these covered with papery or membranous pale downwards appressedly hairy cataphylls. Culms many, slender, radiating, from a few inches to 2 feet long, prostrate and rooting from the nodes or geniculately ascending, many-noded, simple or branching here and there, the branches from the prostrate portion swollen at the base and covered with silkily hairy cataphylls, the internodes glabrous and smooth. Leaf-sheaths short, moderately firm, the lower pale, somewhat loose, the upper glaucous, tight, more or less softly ciliate at the junction with the blade; ligule reduced to a softly ciliate rim; blades narrowly linear, tapering to an acute point, 1/2–2 in. by 3/4–1 lin. (when flattened out), glaucous, firm, but hardly rigid, those of compact tufts tightly involute, quite glabrous except at the base, smooth, finely and closely nerved. Panicle exserted, oblong to ovate in outline, 3/4–1 1/2 in. by 3/4–1 in. when quite open, very loose, divided up to the third degree, quite glabrous except for some axillary hairs, all divisions finely filiform, slightly wavy, almost smooth; primary branches 6–8, solitary, 1/2–1 in. long, the lower divided again, the branchlets forming downwards compound or simple 5–2-spiculate loose racemes; pedicels very slightly thicker upwards, the lateral very short to almost 1 lin. long. Spikelets oblong, obtuse to subacute, 3/4 lin. long, at length more or less gaping, pale with greenish nerves, glabrous. Glumes similar but unequal, thinly membranous; lower obliquely ovate in profile, shortly acute, one-third to one-half the length of the upper floret, up to 5-nerved, side-nerves short to very short; upper obliquely and broadly oblong, obtuse to subacute, 5- to sub-7-nerved. Lower floret barren: valve very similar and equal to the upper glume, obtuse, 5-nerved, side-nerves close; valvule shorter, oblong, subacute with rather narrow flaps. Upper floret hermaphrodite, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, 1/2 lin. long, whitish, smooth, glossy.
