Perennial (?), up to 3 ft. high. Culms slender, easily compressible, ascending from an often long-decumbent and rambling base emitting long (over 6 in.) aerial roots from its nodes, the erect portion about 5-noded and sparingly branched, the lower internodes soon bared by the sheaths slipping off, 2–3 in. by 1–1 1/2 lin., the lowest sometimes more or less compressed, the uppermost up to over 1 ft. long, all quite glabrous and smooth. Leaf-sheaths herbaceous, somewhat firm, prominently striate, glabrous and smooth or sparingly hairy upwards, more or less compressed and keeled upwards, produced at the mouth into acute or subacute auricles, up to 2 lin. long, shorter than the internodes; ligules thinly membranous, laterally adnate to the auricles; blades linear from a gradually attenuated or equally wide base which is much narrower than the mouth of the sheath, upwards tapering to a fine point, over 6 (rarely up to 9) in. by 1 1/2–2 lin., flexuous, at first plicate-convolute, then flat, quite glabrous or rarely very sparingly hairy, smooth except along the upwards scaberulous margins, midrib slender, prominent below and whitish, lateral nerves 2–3 on each side, generally obscure. False spike erect on a long-exserted peduncle, straight or flexuous, 1–6 in. by 3–3 1/2 lin., dense, continuous or here and there slightly interrupted or constricted; pedicels very short, smooth, with discoid tips. Spikelets ovate, subacute to acutely acuminate, symmetrical or slightly oblique, 1 1/2 to over 1 3/4 lin. by 3/4– 7/8 lin., pale greyish-green to a warm straw-colour, glabrous or more or less hairy, with finely tubercle-based short hairs. Lower glume broad-ovate, subacute to almost obtuse in dorsal view, half or over half the length of the spikelet, thin, 5- (rarely 3- or 7-) nerved; upper broad-oblong to ovate-oblong in dorsal view, tip hyaline and rather obtuse if flattened out, finely and prominently 9- (rarely 7-) nerved. Lower floret ♂ or barren: valve very similar to the upper glume, but slightly shorter, 9-nerved; valvule narrow, distinctly shorter than the valve; anthers 3/4 lin. long. Upper floret hermaphrodite, oblong, subacute, 3/4– 9/10 lin. by 1/3– 2/5 lin., white, polished.
