A loosely to densely caespitose perennial, rather variable. Culms (15)25-60(80) cm. tall, 2-5-noded, geniculately ascending, sometimes straggling, rarely erect, terete, somewhat weak, glabrous, smooth. Leaf-sheaths striate, open, tight when young but soon slipping off the culm, usually glabrous; the older ones splitting into irregular brown fibres. Ligule 0·5-1 mm. long. Leaf-laminae 4-27 cm. long, up to 3 mm. wide, soft, usually involute, filiform or even acicular. Panicle 7-25 cm. long, rather dense, narrowly oblong to linear in outline, often spike-like; branches short, usually closely appressed to the rhachis, scaberulous. Spikelets shortly pedicelled, 6·5-10(12·5) mm. long, 2-6-flowered, bright to olive green, sometimes tinged with purple, oblong-ovate in outline, not gaping. Glumes membranous, with thinner margins, embracing the spikelet fairly tightly to 2/3 to 3/4 of its length, acute; the inferior 5-8·25 cm. long, 1-3-nerved, lanceolate, slightly asymmetric; the superior 6-10 mm. long, 3 (sometimes 5-)-nerved, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate. Lemmas 6-9·5 mm. long, narrowly elliptic to ovate-oblong, acute, subacute but usually tapering to an awn point up to 5 mm. long, dorsally scaberulous. Paleas with the keels scaberulous. Anthers 2-2·5 mm. long. Ovary glabrous or with the apex pilose.