Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending, sometimes from a prostrate base, 1–2 1/2 ft. high, usually branched from the hardened base and upwards, terete, slender, 5- to many-noded, glabrous and smooth. Leaf-sheaths tight, mostly shorter than the internodes, terete, finely striate, glabrous and smooth or with the lower minutely pubescent; ligule reduced to a minutely ciliate rim; blade linear, tapering to a subacute or acute point, 3/4–4 in. long, up to 1 1/2 lin. wide, involute, firm, ascending or spreading, straight or flexuous, minutely pubescent above or entirely glabrous and smooth. Panicle erect, oblong to broadly ovate, at length very effuse, 2 1/4–5 1/2 in. long, 3/4–4 in. wide; rhachis terete, very slender, glabrous and smooth, lower internodes 1/3–1 1/4 in. apart; branches finely filiform, flexuous, once or twice divided, paired or semi-verticillate; branchlets and pedicels capillary, flexuous, glabrous and smooth, the latter up to 3 lin. long, with minutely discoid tips. Spikelets ovate- or elliptic-oblong to oblong, 3/4– 5/6 lin. long, pale straw-coloured. Lower glume reduced to a minute hyaline scale or absent; upper as long or almost as long as the spikelet, obliquely lanceolate-oblong and obtuse in profile, ovate- to elliptic-oblong when flattened, rotundate-obtuse or truncate and usually emarginate, finely 5-nerved, glabrous or with a few hairs on or towards the margins. Lower floret ♂, as long as the spikelet: valve similar to the upper glume but wider, ovate-oblong and very obtuse in profile, broadly elliptic-oblong and rotundate-obtuse and slightly emarginate when flattened, appressedly pubescent towards the margins; valvule as long as the valve, lanceolate, emarginate, hyaline, keels minutely scaberulous upwards; anthers about 1/2 lin. long. Upper floret hermaphrodite, ovate, acute, 1/2 lin. or slightly more long. Grain elliptic-oblong, laterally compressed, 1/3 lin. long, brown.
