Slender tussock with narrow leaves falling and leaving inwardly spiralling sheaths. Sheaths to 20 cm, glabrous, pale, chartaceous, spiralling and breaking into short segments, margin hairy above, apical tuft to 3 mm. Ligule to 1 mm. Lamina to 50 cm × 1 mm diam., acicular junceous, veins few, falling with part of sheath, abaxially with occasional long (2 mm) hairs below, adaxially with dense weft of long (3 mm) hairs at base projecting over smooth margin, scattered prickle teeth above. Culm to 65 cm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 12 cm, narrow, glabrous except for occasional long hairs at axils. Spikelets of up to 7 florets. Glumes glabrous, > adjacent lemma lobes, acute or shortly awned; lower to 12 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 13 mm, 3-5-nerved. Lemma to 5 mm; hairs dense on margin fewer aside central nerve, glabrous or sparsely hairy elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes up to 4.5 mm, long triangularacute; central awn up to 13 mm divergent from 2.5 mm flat column. Palea to 6 mm. Callus 0.5 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 0.8 mm. Lodicules to 0.75 mm. Anthers to 4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.75 mm, stigma-styles to 4.5 mm.

2n = 42

2n = 42

Slender tussock with narrow leaves falling and leaving inwardly spiralling sheaths. Leaf-sheath to 20 cm, glabrous, pale, chartaceous, spiralling and breaking into short segments, margin hairy above, apical tuft of hairs to 3 mm. Ligule to 1 mm. Leaf-blade to 50 cm × 1 mm diam., acicular junceous, falling with part of sheath, abaxially with occasional long (2 mm) hairs below, adaxially with dense weft of long (3 mm) hairs at base projecting over smooth margin, scattered prickle-teeth above. Culm to 65 cm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 12 cm, narrow, glabrous except for occasional long hairs at axils. Spikelets of up to 7 florets. Glumes glabrous, ≥ adjacent lemma lobes, acute or shortly awned; lower to 12 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 13 mm, 3-5-nerved. Lemma to 5 mm; hairs dense on margin fewer aside central nerve, glabrous or sparsely hairy elsewhere, &lt; sinus; lateral lobes up to 4.5 mm, long triangular-acute; central awn up to 13 mm divergent from 2.5 mm flat column. Palea to 6 mm. Callus 0.5 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 0.8 mm. Lodicules to 0.75 mm. Anthers to 4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.75 mm; stigma-styles to 4.5 mm. 2n= 42.

Leaves junceous; sheath ± chartaceous, straw-coloured, flattening, coiling inwards and readily breaking transversely on drying; blade up to 60 cm long, c. 1 mm in diameter narrowing distally to a pungent tip; abaxial sclerenchyma ± continuous; silica cells ± round; inflorescence rather small, lax, branches and pedicels ± smooth; spikelets 4-6 - flowered; lemma hairy on back, lobes subulate; basal part of awn flattened and twisted.

Folia juncea; vagina ± chartacea, straminea, siccitate senslm complanata, introrsum convoluta, facile transverse fracta; lamina usque ad 60 cm longa, c. 1 mm diametro, ad extremum attenuata in pungentem apicem; schlerenchyma abaxiale ± continuum; siliceae cellulae ± rotundae; inflorescentia parvula, laxa; ramuli pedicellique ± laeves; spiculae 4-6- florae; lemma dorso pilosum; lobis subulatis; arista infra complanata tortaque.