Often robust, wide-leaved, perennial tufts, (5)-30- 90 cm tall, with dull green somewhat harsh leaves drying dark green, and large, firm, pale green, manyflowered panicles; innovations intravaginal. Leafsheaths similar in texture to blades, firm, manynerved, smooth, or finely scabrous above, green to light brown; ligule 1.3-6 mm, tapered, rounded at top, becoming denticulate, abaxially finely scabrous; leaf-blades (2)-6-28 cm × (0.5)-2-6.5-(10) mm, abaxially finely scabrous on the numerous fine nerves with midnerve prominent near base, adaxially finely ridged and finely scabrous on ridges, margins finely scabrous, tip subobtuse. Culms 20-40-(66) cm tall, erect. Panicle (2)-12-28 × (1)-6-20 cm, at first stiff and contracted with erect branchlets, finally becoming more lax and ovate-elliptic at maturity; main axis smooth below, becoming scabrous above, primary branches sparsely scabrous, filiform, very long, erect, secondary branches much shorter, very numerous, capillary, scaberulous, with several spikelets close together near tips. Spikelets (3)-3.5- 5.5-(6) mm, light green. Glumes ± equal, scabrous on keel and sometimes near margins below tip, elsewhere smooth and membranous, rarely sparsely scabrous in upper half, acute to acuminate; lower glume elliptic-lanceolate, scabrous on upper 2/3 of keel; upper glume linear-lanceolate scabrous on upper ½ of keel. Lemma <2/3 length of glumes, elliptic-oblong, truncate, with the lateral nerves shortly excurrent. Palea elliptic-oblong, shallowly bifid, nerves c. 0.2 mm apart. Lodicules c. 0.5 mm, lanceolate, acute. Caryopsis 1.3-1.8 × 0.4-0.6 mm.

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