2n = 24

Low-growing and wiry, or taller, softer and more slender tufts, shortly- to sometimes long-rhizomatous; leaves ≤ culms, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal, shoots rather stout below. Leaf-sheath pale to dark grey, cream to purplish above, much broader than leaf-blade, entirely glabrous, or more often several scattered long fine hairs above; apical tuft of hairs to 1.5 mm, occasionally extending dorsally below blade. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 8-(18) cm, flat to folded; margins inrolled, glabrous, or with a few scattered hairs below. Culm (1.5)-3-15-(35) cm, erect or spreading, internodes glabrous. Panicle 0.5-2-(3.5) cm; rachis and pedicels scabrid, sometimes with fine hairs at nodes and on pedicels. Spikelets 3-4-flowered, upper florets often exceeding glumes. Glumes green to purple-tinged, ovate, rounded, slightly notched or subacute, rarely a few scattered hairs, ± equal, (2)-2.5-3-(4) mm; lower 5-nerved, upper 3-5-nerved. Lemma 1.5-1.8 mm, 7-(9)-nerved, ± orbicular, glabrous, or rarely a single pair of marginal hair tufts at level of ciliate rachilla apex, notched, with a minute mucro c. 0.1 mm in the notch. Palea 1.5-1.8-(2) mm, = lemma, ± elliptic, interkeel glabrous. Callus 0.1-0.3 mm, glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm. Anthers 0.4-0.7 mm, red. Caryopsis c. 0.8 × 0.5 mm; embryo to 0.5 mm; hilum c. 0.2 mm.