Loosely tufted, bright green perennial, to 80 cm tall, with flaccid leaves overtopped by culms; new shoots extravaginal at base, intravaginal above; laminae persistent. Sheaths light green to light brown, membranous, glabrous and smooth, or scabrous above, distinctly nerved but not strongly keeled except near ligule; ligule 1.5-3 mm long, oblong, slightly rounded and slightly short-ciliate across top, sparsely short-ciliate abaxially; lamina 10-20 cm × 2-4 mm, flat, minutely scabrous throughout, tip acute. Culms 30-70 cm tall, erect, smooth and glabrous, or rarely papillose and minutely ciliate just below nodes. Panicle 10-25 cm long, very loose and open; rachis smooth and glabrous, branches delicate, finely scabrous, spreading and flexuous, bare below, branched above with few spikelets on each branchlet. Spikelets 3.5-5 mm long, 3-4-flowered, light green tinged purple and brown. Glumes equal or subequal, 3-nerved, acute to acuminate, scabrous above on keel; lower glume 2.3-2.8 mm long, lanceolate, upper 2.5-3.2 mm long, narrowly-ovate. Lemma 2.6-2.8 mm long, 5- nerved but inner lateral nerves often obscure, oblong, smooth and glabrous apart from fringe of short hairs to ½ length on midnerve and on outer lateral nerves, scabrous on midnerve above hairs, sometimes purplish, with shining yellow-brown band near obtuse top. Palea 2.3-2.6 mm long, glabrous between ciliate keels. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm long. Callus with long tuft of soft crinkled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm long, minutely scabrous, projection twice as long. Anthers 0.7-1 mm long. Caryopsis c. 1.3 × 0.5 mm.

Loosely tufted, bright green perennial, to 80 cm, with flaccid leaves overtopped by culms; branching extravaginal at plant base, intravaginal above; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green to light brown, membranous, smooth, or scabrid above, distinctly ribbed, keeled near ligule. Ligule 1.5-3 mm, entire, oblong, slightly rounded and slightly short-ciliate, abaxially with sparse minute hairs. Leaf-blade 10-20 cm × 2-4 mm, flat, minutely scabrid throughout; tip acute. Culm 30-70 cm, erect, internodes glabrous, or rarely papillose and minutely pubescent just below nodes. Panicle 10-25 cm, very loose and open; rachis glabrous, branches delicate, finely scabrid, spreading and flexuous, naked below, branched above with few spikelets on each branchlet. Spikelets 3.5-5 mm, 3-4-flowered, light green tinged purple and brown. Glumes equal or subequal, 3-nerved, acute to acuminate, midnerve scabrid above; lower 2.3-2.8 mm, lanceolate, upper 2.5-3.2 mm, narrowly-ovate. Lemma 2.6-2.8 mm, 5-nerved but inner lateral nerves often obscure, oblong, obtuse, glabrous apart from fringe of short hairs to ½ length of midnerve and outer lateral nerves, scabrid on midnerve above hairs, sometimes purplish, with shining yellow-brown band above. Palea 2.3-2.6 mm, keels ciliate, interkeel glabrous. Callus with long tuft of soft crinkled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, minutely scabrid; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm. Anthers 0.7-1 mm. Caryopsis c. 1.3 × 0.5 mm.