Perennial, densely cæspitose, 2 ft. high. Culms more or less coated with the remains of the basal leaf-sheaths, terete, 4–5-noded, glabrous except at the densely and appressedly white-bearded upper ends of the internodes, the hairs covering the slightly constricted sheath-bases. Leaf-sheaths firm, terete, those of the culm-leaves produced into narrow lanceolate acute auricles up to 3 lin. long, the middle and upper shorter than the internodes, glabrous or sparingly hirsute; ligules scarious, broadly rounded at the top, as long as or somewhat longer than the sheath-auricles and laterally adnate to them; blades linear, slightly narrowed towards the base, tapering to a fine point, 6–9 in. by 2–2 1/2 lin., glaucous-green, quite flat, erect, rigid, glabrous, rough on the face and margins, less so on the back, midrib slender, prominent below, flat and somewhat widened downwards on the face, lateral nerves numerous, close, the primary hardly differentiated. Racemes solitary, somewhat stiff, 4–6 in. long; rhachis slender, terete, sparingly hairy upwards, internodes 2 lin. long; pedicels 2 lin. long, more or less loosely hairy. Subsessile spikelets ♂ or neuter, linear-oblong to almost linear, 3 1/2–4 lin. long, villosulous or pubescent all over, variously tinged with purple. Glumes subequal; lower firmly chartaceous, convex on the back to semiterete, narrowly truncate, keels marginate, rigidly ciliolate upwards, intracarinal nerves 6–7, obscure downwards with few transverse veins; upper glume slightly longer, linear, acute, ciliate. Lower floret reduced to a linear-oblong narrowly truncate ciliate faintly 2-nerved valve, 3 1/2 lin. long. Upper floret: valve hyaline, linear, with a ciliolate tip, or cartilaginous upwards with a short twisted bristle. Anthers 2 lin. long. Fertile spikelets linear, 4–4 1/2 lin. long, including the subacute densely bearded callus which is 3/4 lin. long. Glumes subequal; lower convolute, chartaceous, truncate, obscurely ciliolate near the scarious tip, villosulous all over, intracarinal nerves 5 almost without transverse veins; upper very slightly longer, linear, subacute to almost obtuse, ciliolate upwards. Lower floret reduced to a linear-oblong truncate ciliolate 2-nerved hyaline valve as long as the lower glume. Upper floret hermaphrodite: valve linear, hyaline and 3-nerved towards the base, cartilaginous upwards, passing into a slender flexuous subgeniculate silvery-grey awn, up to 2 1/2 in. long, column with few very steep spirals so tightly screwed up as to look almost solid, subplumose downwards, hairs up to 1/2 lin. long, bristle very shortly hairy all along.
