Strong tufts spreading outwards from ± open centre, very shortly rhizomatous, mostly glabrous apart from collar hairs but not invariably so; leaves slightly < mature culms; new shoots extravaginal. Sheaths pale stramineous, usually glabrous but some with long, scattered to very occasionally abundant, fine hairs, rarely all sheaths hairy; collar hairs to 4 mm long; ligule 0.2-0.8 mm long; lamina flat, or margins inrolled, to 40 cm long, to 3.5 mm wide, glabrous, occasionally with a few scattered long hairs, margins finely scabrous. Culms up to 75-(85) cm tall, glabrous, finely scabrous below inflorescence. Panicle narrow, long-branched, to 15—(18) cm long; spikelets large, on short slender pedicels; rhachis and pedicels densely short-scabrous, occasionally with a few longer hairs below spikelets and at branch axils. Spikelets (3)-4-6-(8)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes purpled centrally, lanceolate, acute or subacute, ± equal, (7.5)—10-12 mm long, both 5-(7)-nerved. Lemma 2-3 mm long, 9-nerved, both upper and lower rows of hairs dense, continuous, upper row < lemma lobes, lower row only reaching base of upper, some few scattered hairs elsewhere and on margins; lemma lobes (4)-5-7 mm long, gradually tapering to fine awns. Central awn (6)-9- 12 mm long; column (1)—2—3 mm long, = or slightly > palea, usually ± = upper lemma hairs. Palea 4- 5 mm long, slightly < upper lemma hairs, glabrous or rarely a few hairs between keels, margins with a few long hairs or glabrous. Callus 0.5-0.8 mm long, with marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rhachilla0.4-0.6-(0.7) mm long. Anthers 0.3- 0.8 and 1-1.6 mm long. Caryopsis 1.6-1.8 × 0.8- 0.9 mm; embryo 0.8 mm long; hilum 0.5 mm long. Endemic.

2n = 48

[Unable to display]