Stiff, fine-leaved, greyish-green, small, wiry, intravaginal tussocks to c. 80 cm tall, from a narrow base packed with dead dry leaves; laminae persistent. Sheaths light brown, becoming dull greybrown, coriaceous, smooth or slightly scabrous; ligule c. 0.3 mm long, a truncate rim, minutely ciliate across top and scabrous abaxially; lamina 15-25- (35) cm long, inrolled and c. 0.5 mm diam., abaxially usually finely scabrous, adaxially densely shortscabrous, margins finely scabrous, tip long, fine, acicular. Culms 30-75 cm tall, erect, smooth to finely scabrous. Panicle 10-20 cm long, contracted at first, later lax with spreading, slender, finely scabrous branchlets tipped by numerous spikelets. Spikelets (3.5)-4-5-(6.5) mm long, 3-6-(8)-flowered, light green often purpled. Glumes ± unequal, narrow-lanceolate to narrow-ovate, acute to subacuminate, scabrous on keels and at times on internerves, margins minutely scabrous; lower glume 1.5-2 mm long, 1-3-nerved, upper 2-2.5 mm long, 3-nerved. Lemma c. 2.5 mm long, 5-nerved, elliptic- oblong, ± closely pubescent on lower ½, usually with slightly longer hairs on keel and marginal nerves, tip obtuse, short-ciliate. Palea 2-2.5 mm long, pubescent between keels especially in lower ½, keels scabrous above and finely ciliolate below middle. Lodicules 0.4-0.6 mm long. Callus glabrous or with a few long hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm long, with a few short hairs. Anthers 1.2-1.5 mm long. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm.

Stiff, fine-leaved, greyish green, small, wiry, tussocks to c. 80 cm, from a narrow base packed with dead dry leaves; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light brown, becoming dull grey-brown, coriaceous, smooth or slightly scabrid. Ligule c. 0.3 mm, a truncate minutely ciliate rim, abaxially with minute prickle-teeth. Leaf-blade 15-25-(35) cm, inrolled, c. 0.5 mm diam., abaxially usually finely scabrid, adaxially densely short-scabrid; margins finely scabrid, tip long, fine, acicular. Culm 30-75 cm, erect, internodes smooth to finely scabrid. Panicle 10-20 cm, contracted at first, later lax with spreading, slender, finely scabrid branches tipped by numerous spikelets. Spikelets (3.5)-4-5-(6.5) mm, 3-6-(8)-flowered, light green often purpled. Glumes ± unequal, narrow-lanceolate to narrow-ovate, acute to subacuminate, keels and sometimes internerves scabrid; lower 1.5-2 mm, 1-3-nerved, upper 2-2.5 mm, 3-nerved; margins minutely scabrid. Lemma c. 2.5 mm, 5-nerved, elliptic-oblong, ± closely pubescent on lower ½, usually with slightly longer hairs on keel and marginal nerves, tip obtuse, short-ciliate. Palea 2-2.5 mm, keels scabrid above and finely ciliolate in lower ½, interkeel pubescent especially in lower ½. Callus glabrous or with a few long hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, with a few short hairs. Lodicules 0.4-0.6 mm. Anthers 1.2-1.5 mm. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm.