Tall, slender, red tussock with crowded, erect, stiff, junceous leaves. Sheath to 30 cm, dark brown, keeled, incurving, remaining entire or fracturing into short segments, margin separating and coiling, tuft of hairs at apex to 3 mm. Ligule to 1 mm. Lamina to 1 m × 1.2 mm diam., acicular junceous, splitting longitudinally, keel hollow, abaxially glabrous but infrequently with long hairs near base, prickle teeth towards apex, adaxially with rows of short hairs or wefts of long hairs at base, with prickle teeth and sometimes papillae above; margin with long hairs below, prickle teeth above, rarely smooth. Culms to 1.5 m, internodes glabrous but sometimes long hairy, sheath glabrous. Inflorescence to 45 cm, open on pulvinate branches, glabrous except for long hairs at branch axils and short stiff hairs below spikelets, rarely becoming scabrous above. Spikelets of up to 9 florets. Glumes glabrous, acute, infrequently awned, ≤ adjacent lemma lobes, lower to 12 mm, 1—3—5- nerved, upper to 14 mm, 3-5-7-nerved. Lemma to 6 mm; hairs dense on margin, usually absent or sparse elsewhere, or present in all internerves (ssp. cuprea), < sinus; lateral lobes to 6 mm including awn to 3 mm, rarely unawned; central awn to 13 mm from twisting column to 3 mm. Palea to 8 mm. Callus to 1.5 mm, hairs to 4 mm. Rachilla to 0.75 mm. Lodicules to 1 mm. Anthers to 5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 1 mm, stigma-styles to 4 mm. Caryopsis to 3.5 mm.

2n = 42

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Plant 1-2 m tall; leaves rather rigid ± striate; often ± red tinted; leaf base ± dark chestnut brown, shining; blade crescent shape in transverse section, readily splitting on being laid flat. Panicle lax; branches barren in lower parts, spikelets mostly 4— 5-flowered, lemma hairy on back, awn flattened and twisted in lower part.

Gramen 1—2 m altum; folia rigidiora ± striata, saepe ± rubella, basi -t fusco-castanea vel nitida; lamina lunata in sectione transversa, facile fissilis quandocunque strata; panicula laxa; ramuli infra nudi; spiculae plerumque 4—5-florae; lemma dorso pilosum; arista infra complanata tortaque.