perennial (sometimes flowering in the first year ?), more or less glandular-pubescent or villous all over; culms fascicled, erect or geniculately-ascending, 1–3 ft. long, pubescent to finely villous, 2–5-noded, simple or sparingly branched below, internodes more or less exserted; sheaths rather tight, finely striate, nodes villous; blades linear to lanceolate-linear, long tapering to a fine point, 3–8 in. by 1–3 lin., flat or convolute, rigid or subflaccid, scaberulous above and along the margins; panicle spike-like, often interrupted- and lobed below, 1–6 in. long; lowest branches sometimes up to 1 in. long; spikelets crowded, 1 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long; glumes unequal, scantily and finely hairy, thin, greyish, tips usually dark, the lower ovate, subacute or minutely truncate, rarely 3–2-nerved, the upper somewhat longer, oblong, truncate, 3-nerved, nerves percurrent or very shortly excurrent; lower valve 3/4 lin. long, shortly villous; awns 1 1/2–2 lin. long, plumose beyond the middle; pale 1–1 1/4 lin. long, keels ciliolate; anthers 5/8– 3/4 lin. long; grain not quite 1/2 lin. by 1/4 lin. null
