Erect, wiry perennial frequently branching at nodes; branching extravaginal, cataphylls short. Sheath to 3 cm, usually glabrous sometimes retrorsely pubescent Ligule to 0.5 mm; auricular lobes to 1 mm, symmetrical or asymmetrical, often lightly pubescent, occasionally with a very small tuft of hairs on thickened collar. Lamina to30cm × 0.8 mm diam., narrow, involute, rigid, acicular, smooth and glabrous abaxially, adaxially clothed with short white hairs. Culms to 60 cm, wiry, smooth, nodes purple, glabrous except for some very short hairs below. Inflorescence to 25 cm, narrow; rachis glabrous below, scabrous above, branches and pedicels scabrous. Glumes ± equal, to 7 mm, hyaline, shining, pink-suffused, produced into awn-like processes to 0.5 mm, or split at tip, < awn column, lower 1- nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma to 5.0 mm, 3 or 5- nerved, fulvous, clothed with white ± appressed hairs; coma to 0.5 mm, lobes short and inconspicuous; awn to 40 mm, ± straight or weakly 1-geniculate, and with short stiff hairs, column loosely twisted to 10 mm, arista to 30 mm. Palea clothed in long hairs, apex fimbriate. Callus short (to 0.3 mm) oblique, hairs white, to 1 mm. Lodicules 3, one usually emarginate, or entire, 1-nerved, to 1 mm. Anthers to 2.7 mm, weakly penicillate and shortly caudate. Chasmogamous.