perennial, cæspitose; stems undivided at the base, covered with the persistent leaves or their remnants, then branching and forming fascicles of filiform flowering culms, 4–8 in. long, and slender barren shoots, the former closely and distichously leafy at the base, with 2 long internodes above it, smooth, glabrous, the latter 1–3 in. long, very closely distichously leafy; sheaths tight, pubescent, bearded at the mouth, lower very short, firm, persistent; ligule a fringe of minute hairs; blades linear, tapering from the base to a blunt point, 5–10 lin. by 3/4–1 lin. at the base, horizontally spreading, very rigid, subpungent, flat or concave or canaliculate, margins scaberulous, otherwise smooth; panicle small, lax, contracted, very meagre, often reduced to very few spikelets, up to 1 1/2 in. long; branches 2-nate, capillary, 2–1-spiculate, up to 1/2 in. long, glabrous except at the long-bearded axils; spikelets greenish, tinged with violet, 4–4 1/2 lin. long; glumes lanceolate in profile, long and setaceously acuminate, subhyaline, glabrous, scaberulous towards the tips, 1-nerved; valves oblong, body 2 lin. long, densely hairy along the margins and more loosely on the back, faintly 9-nerved; lobes distinct, acute, with a fine bristle, 1 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long, from the inner angle or more or less adnate to it; awn 5–6 lin. long, kneed below the middle and twisted; pales equal to the valves, scaberulous along the keels and towards the tips; lodicules ciliate; anthers 1 1/4 lin. long; grain 1 lin. long. null
