Sparse tussock with shoots clothed in many old, fibrous, entire sheaths; flowering shoot taller than the leaves which eventually disarticulate at ligule; sheaths, culms, spikelets often purpled or golden. Sheaths to 10 cm, persistent, entire, prominently nerved, internerve hairs minute, tuft of hairs at apex to 2 mm. Ligule to 3.5 mm. Lamina to 25 cm × 5 mm, flat, veined, disarticulating at ligule, spiralling above, pungent, abaxially glabrous, adaxially with scattered prickle teeth; margin smooth or sometimes with prickle teeth. Culms to 45 cm, internodes glabrous except for hairs below inflorescence. Inflorescence to 10 cm, shortly branched; rachis, branches and pedicels long hairy. Spikelets of up to 8 strongly purpled florets. Glumes > adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 11 mm, 1-5-nerved, acute, sometimes bifid, upper to 16 mm, 3-5-7-nerved, acute. Lemma to mm; hairs dense on margin and aside central nerve, usually glabrous elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes to 7 mm acute, or produced into awn up to 5 mm, or long triangular-acute; central awn to 20 mm divergent from 1.5 mm flat column. Palea to 9 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 0.75 mm. Lodicules to 1 mm. Anthers to 3 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 1 mm, stigmastyles to 2.5 mm. Caryopsis to 3.25 mm.

2n = c. 42

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