Lower leaf-sheaths glabrous, or with scattered, long, soft hairs. Leaf-blade 3-15 cm × 2-8 mm. Raceme erect or inclined, light green, sometimes with purplish or golden tinge; rachis margins ciliate. Central ☿ spikelet sessile or on pedicel c. 0.3 mm; lateral spikelets shortly pedicelled. Lateral spikelets: outer glumes 15-32 mm, inner 13-25 mm, sparsely hairy on the curved margin near base; lemma abaxially slightly ciliate on margins near base and scabrid above, awn 8.5-40 mm; palea adaxially copiously long hairy; lodicules 1.5-1.75 mm; anthers 0.4-1.3 mm. Central spikelet: lemma abaxially glabrous but scabrid on nerves near apex, adaxially short-ciliate towards apex, awn 15-45 mm, overtopping all glumes and awns; palea folded, keels scabrid near produced, minutely bifid, ciliate apex, interkeel glabrous. Anthers 0.7-1.6 mm.