Tightly packed, bulbous-based perennial, forming intravaginal tufts to c. 10 cm tall; laminae persistent. Sheaths cream, membranous, smooth, later shredding into fibres; inner basal sheaths thick, swollen and hard at base; sheaths of cauline leaves light green, some purplish; ligule 0.5-2.5 mm long, entire, very sparingly ciliate or smooth near pointed top, abaxially smooth; lamina 2.5-5 cm long, rather stiff, folded, grey-green, smooth with minutely scabrous margins, midrib also scabrous near abruptly pointed tip. Culms 5-10 cm long, smooth. Panicle 2-4 cm long, contracted, ± oblong, with densely packed spikelets; rachis smooth, branches few, ± erect, sparsely scabrous. Spikelets 3-3.5 mm long, 2-3-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, 2-3 mm long, ovate, acute, with wide purplish membranous margins and distinct, green scabrous keel; lower glume 1-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma c. 3 mm long, 5-nerved, ovate, acute, membranous, smooth and glabrous apart from dense fringe of short fine hairs along lower ½ of mid- and lateral nerves and scabrous on midnerve above hairs. Palea c. 2.5 mm long, glabrous between minutely ciliate keels. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm long. Callus with tuft of tangled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm long, smooth, projection much shorter. Anthers 1- 1.5 mm long. Caryopsis not seen.

Tightly packed, swollen-based perennial tufts to c. 10 cm; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath cream, membranous, glabrous, later shredding into fibres; inner basal sheaths thick, swollen and hard at base; sheaths of cauline leaves light green, some purplish. Ligule 0.5-2.5 mm, entire, tapered, apically glabrous or very sparingly ciliate, abaxially glabrous. Leaf-blade 2.5-5 cm long, rather stiff, folded, grey-green, glabrous; margins minutely scabrid, midrib also scabrid near abruptly pointed tip. Culm 5-10 cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 2-4 cm, contracted, ± oblong, with densely packed spikelets; rachis smooth, branches few, ± erect, sparsely scabrid. Spikelets 3-3.5 mm, 2-3-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, 2-3 mm, ovate, acute, keel distinct, green, scabrid; lower l-nerved, upper 3-nerved; margins membranous, wide, purplish. Lemma c. 3 mm, 5-nerved, ovate, acute, membranous, glabrous, nerves densely ciliate on lower ½, midnerve scabrid above hairs. Palea c. 2.5 mm, keels minutely ciliate, interkeel glabrous. Callus with tuft of tangled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation much shorter. Lodicules c. 0.4 mm. Anthers 1-1.5 mm. Caryopsis not seen.