perennial; culms erect, rather stout, over 2 1/2 ft. long, more or less compressed or angular, glabrous, very rough below the panicle; sheaths long, rather tight and firm, smooth, glabrous except at the bearded mouth or along the ciliate margin; ligules truncate, very short, densely ciliolate; blades erect, very narrow, linear, subpungent, 1/2 to more than 1 ft. long, 1–1 1/2 lin. wide (unfolded), rigid, folded (or involute in the upper part), sparingly hairy towards the base, margins rough; panicle spike-like, cylindric, sometimes subinterrupted, 5–9 in. by 3 lin., coarsely bristly; axis subangular, hairy; branches reduced to subsessile clusters of 5–8 partly arrested spikelets, each of which is subtended by 1 coarse scabrid subflexuous bristle, 3–5 lin. long; pedicels very short, tips cupular; spikelets oblong, acute or subacute, slightly curved, slightly over 1 lin. long, straw-coloured; lower glume ovate or almost round, obtuse or acute, less than 1/2 lin. long, hyaline, 3-nerved; upper similar, 1/2– 2/3 lin. long; lower floret barren, equalling the upper; valve oblong, membranous, 5-nerved; pale 0; hermaphrodite floret oblong; valve subcoriaceous, very finely punctate, 5-nerved; anthers over 1/2 lin. long. null
