Tufted or spreading from slender rhizomes. Branching extravaginal. Prophyll keeled, hairy. Leaf-sheath (1)-3-7-(10) cm, tubular, red-brown, hairs often retrorse, rarely glabrous, striate, becoming fibrous; apical auricles 0 to 0.25 mm, finely ciliate. Collar sometimes thickened. Ligule 0.25 mm, finely ciliate. Leaf-blade (2)-10-(25) cm × 0.3-0.7 mm, elliptic to rounded or regularly hexagonal, abaxially smooth rarely antrorsely scabrid or hairy below, adaxially finely hairy, margins finely hairy; TS: usually 5 vascular bundles, 7 sclerenchyma strands, occasionally fewer or continuous. Culm 10-20-(45) cm, internodes erect or ascending-erect, usually > leaf-blades, nodes usually glabrous but sometimes evidently hairy or prickle-toothed, often glaucous, sometimes violet-suffused and striate. Panicle (1)-5-10-(20) cm, of 6-10-13 nodes, of (3)-8-15-(30) spikelets, narrow and erect with short branches to open ascending with long branches naked below, often secund above; basal branch solitary or binate with 2-10 spikelets, uppermost 5-10 solitary on short pedicels; rachis toothed on angles sometimes hairy rather than toothed and occasionally ± pilose, usually tortuous below, branches toothed or hairy on angles more so on basal branch at internodes; pedicels toothed on angles. Spikelets (5)-8-10-(13) mm, of 3-6 florets, often glaucous and/or purple-suffused. Glumes unequal, nerves often raised, keeled, smooth except for prickle-teeth on keel and infrequently elsewhere; margins membranous and ciliate; lower 2.5-3.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 3-5.5 mm, 3-nerved, sometimes shortly awned. Lemma 3.5-4.5-5 mm, 5-nerved, often glaucous, and violet-suffused, rounded, prickle-toothed above, margins ciliate below; awn 0.5-1.5-(2.5) mm. Palea 3.5-4.5-5 mm, apex pointed, shortly bifid, keels toothed to ½ or more, short interkeel hairs above. Callus 0.2-0.3 mm, bearded laterally; articulation ± oblique. Rachilla 0.8-1.25 mm, short stiff hairy, sometimes evident at anthesis. Lodicules 0.6-1.25 mm, usually lobed, often hair-tipped. Anthers (1.0)-1.5-2-3 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5-0.7 mm, sometimes hispid hairy at apex; stigma-styles c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 2.5-3.5 mm, free; embryo 0.5 mm; hilum in sulcus, = caryopsis.