barren and flowering shoots crowded on a very short oblique rhizome; culms erect-geniculate, 1–1 1/2 ft. long, terete, glabrous, smooth, 2–3-noded, internodes more or less exserted, or enclosed except the uppermost; sheaths tight, firm, glabrous except at the finely ciliate margins and mouths, smooth; ligule a dense fringe of hairs; blades narrow, linear, usually setaceously convolute, 2–5 in. by 1/2 lin. (when expanded), rigid, glabrous, smooth except at the scabrid margins, glaucous; compound spike 2–8 in. long, erect, edges of rhachis scabrid; partial spikes 1/2–1 in. long, erect or suberect, straight or slightly curved; secondary rhachis glabrous, ciliate or hairy along the margins; spikelets about 2 1/2 lin. long, light to dark olive-grey; glumes and empty valves 1 1/2 to almost 2 lin. long; fertile valves 2 lin. long; anthers 3/4–1 lin. long; grain rather over 1 lin. long; embryo 2/3 lin. long. null
