Stout or slender, rather tall extravaginal tufts, leaves < culms. Sheaths light brown, sometimes purpled, with numerous short projecting hairs; ligule 1- 1.5 mm long, membranous, ciliate across truncate top, scabrous to ciliate on back, often asymmetric; lamina to 15 cm long, 1—1.5—(3) mm wide, rather stiff, flat, both surfaces with short stiff projecting hairs, margins minutely scabrous, nerves on adaxial surface minutely scabrous, tapered towards tip. Culms 40-90 cm tall, usually shortly puberulous, especially below, sometimes scabrous, nodes ringed above and below with short appressed hairs. Panicle (7.5)-12-25 cm long, very lax, branchlets spreading and visible among spikelets; rachis, branchlets and pedicels short-scabrous; spikelets few, often purpled. Glumes unequal, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, hyaline apart from scabrous midnerve, lower 3.5- 5 mm long, < or rarely = lemma, upper 4—6 mm long, <, =, or > lemma. Lemma 4—6 mm long, densely scaberulous, tip hyaline, less scaberulous, shortly bifid; awn 10-15 mm long, inserted 0.3- 0.5 mm below tip, column very tightly twisted, awn usually geniculate at base of column and again above. Palea 3.5-5.5 mm long, narrow-linear, keels scabrous near ciliate tip. Callus hairs 1.0-1.5 mm long. Lodicules 0.5-0.7 mm long, elliptic-oblong, bifid at glabrous tip. Rachilla prolongation up to 0.5 mm long. Anthers 3, 0.9-2.8 mm long in chasmogamous flowers, 0.4-0.6 mm long in cleistogamous flowers. Caryopsis (2.3)-2.5-2.9 × 0.4- 0.6 mm; embryo 0.4-0.5 mm long; hilum 2.1- 2.7 mm long. Naturalised in New Zealand from Australia.

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