Tall, slender, erect, pedicelled tussock, with sharppointed, smooth, deciduous leaves. Sheath to 12 cm, dark above, pale shining below, persistent, becoming chartaceous, keeled, clothed with long (3 mm), abundant, deciduous hairs, tuft of hairs at apex to 7 mm. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Lamina to 50 cm × 1 mm diam., acicular junceous, thickened at midrib, disarticulating at ligule, abaxially glabrous, adaxially with dense, very short, stiff hairs below, papillae and occasionally some prickle teeth above; margin smooth. Culm to 60 cm, long and short hairs below inflorescence otherwise glabrous. Inflorescence to 10 cm, spikelets few; rachis, branches and pedicels abundantly long hairy especially at branch axils. Spikelets of up to 7 golden florets. Glumes becoming acute or mucronate, glabrous, > adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 11 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 13 mm, 5-nerved. Lemma to 5 mm; dense hairs at margin and erect hairs aside central nerve or rarely between all nerves, ± reaching sinus; lateral lobes to 4 mm, triangular-acute; central awn to 14 mm from divergent flat column to 2 mm. Palea to 7 mm. Rachilla to 0.5 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 2.5 mm. Lodicules to 1 mm. Anthers to 4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.8 mm, stigma-styles to 2 mm. Caryopsis to 3 mm.

2n = c. 42

Tall, slender, erect, pedicelled tussock, with sharp-pointed, glabrous, deciduous leaves. Leaf-sheath to 12 cm, dark above, pale shining below, persistent, becoming chartaceous, keeled, clothed with long (3 mm) abundant deciduous hairs, apical tuft of hairs to 7 mm. Ligule to 0.5 mm. Leaf-blade to 50 cm × 1 mm diam., acicular junceous, thickened at midrib, disarticulating at ligule, abaxially glabrous, adaxially with dense very short stiff hairs below, papillae and occasionally some prickle-teeth above; margin smooth. Culm to 60 cm, long and short hairs below inflorescence otherwise glabrous. Inflorescence to 10 cm, spikelets few; rachis, branches and pedicels abundantly long hairy especially at branch axils. Spikelets of up to 7 golden florets. Glumes becoming acute or mucronate, glabrous, > adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 11 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 13 mm, 5-nerved. Lemma to 5 mm; dense hairs at margin and erect hairs aside central nerve or rarely between all nerves, ± reaching sinus; lateral lobes to 4 mm, triangular-acute; central awn to 14 mm from divergent flat column to 2 mm. Palea to 7 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 2.5 mm. Rachilla to 0.5 mm. Lodicules to 1 mm. Anthers to 4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.8 mm; stigma-styles to 2 mm. Caryopsis to 3 mm. 2n= 42. Plate 8F.

Leaves junceous; sheaths somewhat indurated, stramineous, remaining straight on drying; blade up to 60 cm long (occasionally longer), c. 1 mm in diameter, very rigid, pungent, stramineous; abaxial sclerenchyma continuous; silica cells ± round; inflorescence rather small, lax, panicle branches and pedicels pilose; spikelets 4-5 - flowered; lemmas densely hairy on back, lobes acute scarcely subulate; awn base flattened and twisted.

Folia juncea; vaginae paullo induratae, stramineae, siccitate rigidae; lamina usque ad 60 cm longa (interdum longior), c. 1 mm diametro, perrigida, pungens, straminea, lurido-viridis; sderenchyma abaxiale continuum; siliceae cellulae ± rotundae; inflorescentia parvula laxa; paniculae ramuli pedicellique pilosi; spiculae 4-5 - florae; lemmata dorso dense pilosa, lobis acutis paullo subulatis; arista infra complanata tortaque.