Stiff, rather dark purple-green tussocks; leaves semi-pungent, somewhat < culms, disarticulating at ligule; new shoots intravaginal. Sheaths pale stramineous below, purplish above, usually glabrous or with some scattered long hairs; collar hairs 3-4- (6) mm long; ligule (0.2)-0.8-1.5 mm long; lamina up to 35 cm long, stiff, inrolled, glabrous or occasionally with scattered long hairs, margins often scabrous above ligule and near tip. Culms up to 45- (55) cm tall, glabrous or sometimes fine-scabrous below inflorescence. Panicle ± erect, up to 10 cm long, of few large spikelets on very slender pedicels; rhachis and pedicels closely short-scabrous with some long hairs occasionally at branch axils; spikelets 3-4-(5)-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes blackish purple centrally, linear-lanceolate, subobtuse, (6)-8-12 mm long, ± equal, lower 5-(7)- nerved, upper 3-(5)-nerved. Lemma 2.5-3 mm long, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs very dense and continuous, upper row ± = or slightly > lemma lobes, lower row overlapping upper, shorter hairs scattered elsewhere; lemma lobes (3.7)-4-4.7 mm long, tapering to fine awn. Central awn 8-11 mm long; column 1-1.5 mm long, ± = palea, < upper lemma hairs. Palea 3.5^t.5 mm long, reaching about Vi way up upper lemma hairs, long hairs between keels in lower third and on margins. Callus c. 0.5 mm long, marginal hair tufts long, abundant, much overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rhachilla 0.7-1 mm long. Anthers (0.8)—1—1.5—(2) mm long. Caryopsis 1.4-1.7 × 0.6-0.7 mm; embryo 0.5-0.8 mm long; hilum 0.3 mm long. Endemic.

2n = 24

[Unable to display]

Leaves with collar ± distinct; blades rather dark green. Lemma hairs of the upper transverse series equalling lemma lobes (up to 6 mm long); anthers c. 1.5 mm long.

Folia cum collari ± conspicuo; laminae ± obscurovirides; lemmatis pili in superiore transversa serie cum lemmatis lobis aequilongi (ad 6 mm longi); antherae c. 1.5 mm longae.