Bright green clumps of moderate circumference from a short rootstock. Culms 60–90–(180) cm. × 2–3 mm. (up to 8 mm. diam. at base), occ. with a single longitudinal groove. Lvs ± = culms; sheaths up to 11 cm. long, dull brown; lamina narrow-linear, up to 1.2 cm. wide, scabrid abaxially, margins ± involute, strongly scabrid. Panicle 45–70–(120) cm. long, drooping, branchlets comparatively few, about 3–5, in ± distant clusters at each node, up to 20 cm. long; secondary branchlets with few spikelets. Spikelets 2-fld, 6–9 mm. long, not clustered, shortly stalked or sessile. Glumes 6–8–(10), dark brown, rather stiff; the lower 3–6 empty, their size increasing up the spikelet; upper 3–4 glumes enclosing fr. Stamens 4–(5). Style-branches 3–4. Nut 5.5–7 × 2–3 mm., fusiform, subtrigonous, often grooved, brownish orange, or sometimes yellow-cream, tip black, subacute, narrowed to the width of the ± persistent style-base, occ. scaberulous; endocarp transversely grooved within.