2n = 26

2n = 26

Stiff, yellow-green, sometimes bluish green leafy tufts or strong tussocks, 30-120 cm, with rigid panicles on erect culms often well overtopping leaves. Leaf-sheath subcoriaceous, keeled, glabrous, faintly ribbed. Ligule 2.5-7 mm, striate, sometimes almost keeled, acute. Leaf-blade (3)-5-45 cm × 2-3.5 mm, flat, stiff, sometimes folded or inrolled, abaxially smooth and shining, adaxially ribbed, ribs scabrid, tip acute, subpungent. Culm erect, or slightly geniculate at base, internodes glabrous. Panicle (3)-10-30 cm, ± erect, lax at anthesis, bearing spikelets near branchlet tips, later more contracted; rachis and branches sparsely to moderately, finely scabrid. Spikelets (3.5)-4-7 mm, yellow-green to brownish or purplish. Glumes ± equal, slightly overtopping or equalling florets, rarely overtopped by florets in 3-flowered spikelets, acute, keel often very sparsely scabrid; lower 1-nerved, upper 3-nerved. Lemma (2.3)-3-5 mm, oblong, often sparsely scabrid above, apex 4-toothed, margins in upper ½ finely scabrid; awn (0.5)-1-4 mm, fine, straight, minutely scabrid, insertion middorsal or ± basal or rarely in upper ⅓, slightly overtopping or ± reaching lemma apex, occasionally ± appressed to lemma and not reaching apex. Palea narrower than lemma, apex bifid, keels and margins in upper ½ finely scabrid. Callus hairs to 1.5 mm. Rachilla hairs to 2 mm, dense, silky. Anthers (0.8)-1.2-2.2 mm. Gynoecium: ovary c. 0.8 mm; stigma-styles c. 1.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.2-1.6 × 0.4-0.7 mm. 2n= 26.