2n = 98

Rather slender, perennial tufts, 30-80 cm tall, usually with narrow leaves and very lax panicles with few branches tipped by few spikelets; innovations extravaginal. Leaf-sheaths submembranous, with few, distinct nerves, very sparsely, finely scabrous throughout or only above; ligule 1.2—5—(8) mm, truncate and erose in lower leaves, tapering in upper leaves, abaxially scabrous; leaf-blades 3- 25 cm × 0.4-1.5-(2.5) mm, flat, or folded and ± involute, narrow-linear, abaxially almost smooth near base to closely scabrous near acute tip, adaxially ridged and scabrous on ridges, margins scabrous. Culms 6-50 cm tall, ± geniculate at base, minutely retrorsely scabrous above. Panicle 4-30 × 3-20-(30) cm, very lax at maturity, often wider than long; primary branchlets bare, capillary, finely scabrous, becoming horizontal or reflexed, the secondary branchlets much shorter, each tipped by a single spikelet. Spikelets 4-6 mm long, excluding awn, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, ellipticlanceolate, keel scabrous in upper 2/3, hyaline margin scabrous along edge in upper half, tip acute to sometimes acuminate. Lemma (2.5)—3—3.8 mm, c. ¾ length of glumes, 5-nerved, with scattered short hairs usually near margins on lower 2/3, or rarely glabrous, elliptic-oblong, truncate, denticulate, lateral nerves usually very shortly excurrent, margins and nerves finely scabrous near tip; awn (0.3)—1—5 mm, usually straight, sometimes curved, arising dorsally from just above mid-point of keel to just below lemma tip, rarely awn 0. Palea c. ½ length of lemma or shorter, keels ± distinct, c. 0.2 mm apart, tip shallowly bifid. Callus hairs to 1 mm, to 1/3 length of lemma. Lodicules 0.6-0.9 mm, linear, acute. Rachilla 0.1- 0.8 mm, with tuft of hairs to 1 mm, rarely rachilla 0. Anthers (0.6)-0.8-1.2 mm. Caryopsis 1.5-1.8 × 0.5-0.7 mm. Endemic.

Gramen perenne, elatum, tenue, foliis plerumque perangustis, paniculae ramulis laxissimis, in spiculis paucis grandioribus desinentibus. Lemma hyalinum, plerumque >3 mm, pilis brevibus, sparsis, plerumque prope margines ornatum, vel raro glabrum; arista recta, vel raro nulla. Palea lemmate dimidio brevior. Callus et rachilla caespitulo pilorum brevium ornata. L. lyallii accedit, differt autem paniculis laxioribus, spiculis paucioribus, lemmatibus longioribus, aristisque rectis non geniculatis.

Rather slender, perennial tufts, 30-80 cm, usually with narrow leaves and very lax panicles with few branches tipped by few spikelets; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath submembranous, with few, distinct ribs, very sparsely, finely scabrid throughout or only above. Ligule 1.2-5-(8) mm, truncate and erose in lower leaves, tapering in upper leaves, abaxially scabrid. Leaf-blade 3-25 cm × 0.4-1.5-(2.5) mm, flat, or folded and ± involute, narrow-linear, abaxially almost smooth near base to closely scabrid near acute tip, adaxially ribbed and scabrid on ribs, margins scabrid. Culm 6-50 cm, ± geniculate at base, internodes minutely retrorsely scabrid above. Panicle 4-30 × 3-20-(30) cm, very lax at maturity, often wider than long; primary branches naked, capillary, finely scabrid, becoming horizontal or reflexed, secondary branchlets much shorter, each tipped by a single spikelet. Spikelets 3-8 mm, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, elliptic-lanceolate, scabrid above on keel and near hyaline margin, tip acute to sometimes acuminate. Lemma (2.5)-3-3.8 mm, c. ¾ length of glumes, 5-nerved, with scattered short hairs usually near margins on lower ⅔, or rarely glabrous, elliptic-oblong, truncate, denticulate, lateral nerves usually very shortly excurrent, margins and nerves finely scabrid near apex; awn (0.3)-1-5 mm, usually straight, sometimes curved, arising dorsally from just above midpoint of keel to just below lemma apex, rarely awn 0. Palea c. ½ length of lemma or shorter, keels ± distinct, c. 0.2 mm apart, apex shallowly bifid. Callus hairs to 1 mm, to ⅓ length of lemma. Rachilla prolongation 0.1-0.8 mm, with tuft of hairs to 1 mm; rarely 0. Lodicules 0.6-0.9 mm, linear, acute. Anthers (0.6)-0.8-1.2 mm. Caryopsis 1.5-1.8 × 0.5-0.7 mm.