perennial; culms ascending from a decumbent or rambling base, very slender, many-noded, glabrous, internodes exserted; sheaths tight, striate, ciliate along the margins, otherwise glabrous or sparsely hairy; ligule a very narrow, minutely ciliolate rim; blades more or less spreading, linear to linear-lanceolate from a strongly and suddenly constricted base tapering to an acute point, 2–4 in. by 2–3 lin., flat, thin, glabrous or sparsely hairy towards the base, smooth, margins scaberulous; panicle erect, contracted and linear, or open and ovate, 1–3 in. long; axis slender, smooth; branches spirally arranged, rather distant, not very numerous, the lower up to 1 1/2 in. long, loosely divided almost from the base, subcapillary, smooth; lateral pedicels very short and fine, tips discoid; spikelets curved, semi-ovate to suboblong, acute or obtuse, 1–1 1/4 lin. long, green, strongly nerved; lower glume very minute, broadly ovate to orbicular, nerveless; upper equalling the spikelet, very concave, gibbous below, strongly curved, acute or obtuse, membranous, 9-ribbed; lower floret barren; valve oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse, straight, equalling the lower glume, herbaceous on the sides and at the tip, 7-nerved; hermaphrodite floret elliptic-oblong, acute, 3/4 lin. long, strongly convex; valve chartaceous, very obscurely 5-nerved; anthers 1/2 lin. long. null
