Stiff, wiry, small tussocks, tufts formed at ends of elongating shoots, rooting at nodes; leaves < or ± = culms, semi-pungent, disarticulating at ligule; new shoots intravaginal. Sheaths glabrous, light grey to dark brown; collar hairs 1-1.5 mm long; ligule c. 0.5 mm long; lamina to 15 cm long, glabrous, stiff, inrolled, margins glabrous. Culms up to 40 cm tall, glabrous. Raceme or racemose panicle small, erect, to 4 cm long, of very few large spikelets on short pedicels; rhachis and pedicels almost glabrous with only a few scattered teeth and usually small tufts of long hairs at branch axils. Spikelets 4-6-flowered, awns and sometimes lemma lobes exserted from glumes. Glumes green, lanceolate, acute, 8.5-15 mm long, ± equal, lower 5-(7)-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma 2.5-3.5 mm long, 9-nerved, upper row of hairs interrupted, with dense marginal tufts and a few additional hairs adjacent, hairs much < lemma lobes, lower row almost continuous, with dense strong marginal tufts and less dense tufts between, overlapping upper, glabrous elsewhere; lemma lobes 4.5-8 mm long, narrowing to strong awn and often shortly lobed at awn base. Central awn 7.5-14 mm long; column 2.5^4 mm long, > upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.6-6 mm long, = or slightly > upper lemma hairs, glabrous between keels, margins with 1-2 long hairs. Callus 0.7-1 mm long, with strong marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rhachilla 0.5-0.6 mm long. Anthers 0.7-1.1 and 1.5 mm long, yellow. Caryopsis c. 2.5 × 1.0 mm; embryo c. 1.0 mm long; hilum 0.5 mm long. Endemic.

Gramen caespitosum, habitu, innovationibus intravaginalibus, foliis glabris, et paniculae ramis paene glabris, R. setifolio simile, differt autem lobis lemmatis longioribus validioribusque, et pilis sparsioribus superioris lemmatis seriei.

2n = 48

2n = 48

Stiff, wiry, small tussocks, tufts formed at ends of elongating shoots, rooting at nodes; leaves ≤ culms, semi-pungent, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath glabrous, light grey to dark brown; apical tuft of hairs 1-1.5 mm. Ligule c. 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 15 cm, glabrous, stiff, inrolled, margins glabrous. Culm to 40 cm, internodes glabrous. Raceme or racemose panicle small, erect, to 4 cm, of very few large spikelets on short pedicels; rachis and pedicels almost glabrous with only a few scattered teeth and usually small tufts of long hairs at branch axils. Spikelets 4-6-flowered, awns and sometimes lemma lobes exserted from glumes. Glumes green, lanceolate, acute, 8.5-15 mm, ± equal; lower 5-(7)-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma 2.5-3.5 mm, 9-nerved, upper row of hairs inter-rupted, dense marginal tufts and a few additional hairs adjacent, hairs « lemma lobes, lower row almost continuous, with dense strong marginal tufts and less dense tufts between, overlapping upper, glabrous elsewhere; lobes 4.5-8 mm, narrowing to strong awn and often shortly lobed at awn base; central awn 7.5-14 mm, column 2.5-4 mm, > upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.6-6 mm, = or slightly > upper lemma hairs, interkeel glabrous, margins with 1-2 long hairs. Callus 0.7-1 mm, strong marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.5-0.6 mm. Anthers 0.7-1.1 and 1.5 mm, yellow. Caryopsis c. 2.5 × 1.0 mm; embryo c. 1.0 mm; hilum 0.5 mm. Plate 11G.