Short, shiny tussock with stiff and widely spreading persistent leaves. Sheaths to 15 cm, slightly keeled, pale yellow, persistent, becoming fibrous, margins above with long hairs, tuft of hairs at apex to 2 mm. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Lamina to 60 cm × 4 mm, flat to U-shaped, persistent, deflexed at collar, abaxially many nerved, glabrous, adaxially with a weft of short, crisped hairs at base, abundant prickle teeth above; margin with long hairs below, becoming shaggy, hairs mostly antrorse and appressed. Culm to 75 cm, intemodes glabrous except for short, dense hairs below inflorescence. Inflorescence to 15 cm, congested with short branches, bristling with awns; rachis, branches and pedicels short soft hairy. Spikelets of up to 5 florets. Glumes to 13 mm, shortly awned, < adjacent lemma lobes, prickle teeth above, otherwise glabrous; lower 1-3-nerved, upper 1—3—5- nerved. Lemma to 6 mm; hairs dense at margin and in all internerves, or sometimes only aside central nerve, > sinus; lateral lobes toll mm including strict awn to 8 mm, prickle teeth adaxially and abaxially and on lemma margins; central awn to 22 mm much deflexed from twisting column to 4 mm. Palea to 8.5 mm, produced into two conspicuous narrow processes; prickle teeth abaxially above. Rachilla to 1 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 5 mm. Lodicules to 1.75 mm. Anthers to 4.5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 1 mm, stigma-styles to 4 mm. Caryopsis to 3 mm.

2n = 42

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Leaf sheath at maturity curving outwards finally becoming fibrous; blades long, tapering, silica cells round; microhairs 180-240mcm long, filamentous, 3-4 - celled; culms 30-60 cm long; panicles contracted; spikelets 3-4 cm long, 4-6 flowered; lemma hairy on back; lateral lobes of lemma attenuated into long filaments; middle awn spirally twisted at base.

Matura folii vagina primo extrorsus curvata, denique fibrata; laminae longae, attenuatae, cellulae siliceae rotundae; microtriches 180-240mcm, longae, filamentosae, 3-4 - cellulis; culmi 30-60 cm longi; paniculae coarc-tatae; spiculae 3-4 cm longae, 4-6 - florae; lemma dorso pilosum; laterales lemmatis lobi in longa filamenta attenuati; arista media basi spiraliter torta.