Small perennial tufts, basal leaves « culm leaves, in winter only a basal tuft, in spring sending out simple leafy culms each topped by a delicate panicle, later stems branching freely above, with small panicles at first hidden among leaves. Leaf-sheath greenish or often purplish, stiffly membranous, rounded; margins with many long soft hairs. Ligule ciliate, hairs soft, 3-4.5 mm, extending as a contra-ligule. Leaf-blade of basal leaves 1-2.5 cm × 4-6 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, of cauline leaves 4-8.5 cm × 4-8 mm, linear-lanceolate, subacuminate, all leaves firm, erect or ascending, flat, strongly ribbed without obvious midrib, abaxially short-pubescent, adaxially sparsely finely pilose to almost glabrous, but usually hairy near base; margins minutely scabrid. Culm 30-45 cm, very slender near panicle, ± erect, nodes pubescent, internodes striate with scattered long fine hairs. Panicle lax, pyramidal to ovoid, 2.5-8 × 2-5 cm; rachis with scattered fine hairs, branches and branchlets few, slender, glabrous, bearing few spikelets on rather long pedicels. Spikelets 1.5-1.8 mm, pubescent, obtuse, green to purplish. Glumes very unequal; lower 0.5-1 mm, ovate, obtuse or almost truncate, nerves 0, upper = spikelet, 7-nerved, ovate, obtuse, with short scattered hairs. Lower floret Ø: lemma similar to upper glume, 7-nerved; palea 0. Upper floret ☿: lemma 1.2-1.4 mm, elliptic, subacute, faintly striolate, glabrous, shining, light cream; palea narrower; anthers 0.2-0.9 mm; caryopsis c. 1 × 1 mm.