Stiff, loosely tufted, bluish- or greyish-green perennial with erect, or geniculate and ascending culms from wiry rhizomes, to c. 40 cm tall; new shoots extravaginal; laminae persistent. Sheaths light yellowish- green to light brown, subcoriaceous, keeled, otherwise indistinctly nerved, smooth and glabrous; ligule c. 0.5-1 mm long, ± truncate to somewhat rounded across very minutely ciliate top, scabrous abaxially; lamina 2-7 cm × 1.5-2.5 mm, subcoriaceaus, folded or flat, abaxially smooth, but scabrous on nerves and keel near curved tip, adaxially finely scabrous throughout, margins short scabrous. Culms (8)-12-40 cm tall, flattened, glabrous and smooth, nodes usually purplish. Panicle (1)- 3-8 cm long, usually contracted, stiff, with numerous, densely clustered spikelets, rarely more open and somewhat branched; rachis, branches and pedicels sparsely scabrous. Spikelets 3-6 mm long, 3- 6-flowered, green or purplish. Glumes ± equal, 3- nerved, ovate-elliptic, acute, smooth, but slightly scabrous on midnerve near tip; lower glume 2- 2.3 mm long, upper 2.2-2.5 mm long. Lemma 2.2- 2.7 mm long, 5-nerved but lateral nerves faint, oblong, obtuse, with broad, purple, thin hyaline band near top, internerves smooth and glabrous, midnerve glabrous or softly hairy in lower ½, lateral nerves glabrous or softly hairy near base. Palea ± = lemma, smooth between short-scabrous keels. Lodicules 0.3-0.4 mm long. Callus usually with small tuft of soft hairs. Rachilla c. 0.4 mm long, very minutely papillose. Anthers 1-1.3 mm long. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm.

Stiff, loosely tufted, bluish or greyish green perennial to c. 40 cm, with erect, or geniculate and ascending culms from wiry rhizomes; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light yellowish green to light brown, subcoriaceous, glabrous, keeled, otherwise indistinctly ribbed. Ligule c. 0.5-1 mm, ± truncate to somewhat rounded, very minutely ciliate, abaxially scabrid. Leaf-blade 2-7 cm × 1.5-2.5 mm, subcoriaceous, folded or flat, abaxially smooth, but scabrid on nerves and keel near curved tip, adaxially finely scabrid throughout; margins short-scabrid. Culm (8)-12-40 cm, flattened, nodes usually purplish, internodes glabrous. Panicle (1)-3-8 cm, usually contracted, stiff, with numerous, densely clustered spikelets, rarely more open and somewhat branched; rachis, branches and pedicels sparsely scabrid. Spikelets 3-6 mm, 3-6-flowered, green or purplish. Glumes ± equal, 3-nerved, ovate-elliptic, acute, smooth, but slightly scabrid on midnerve near tip; lower 2-2.3 mm, upper 2.2-2.5 mm. Lemma 2.2-2.7 mm, 5-nerved but lateral nerves faint, oblong, obtuse, with broad, purple, thin hyaline band above, internerves glabrous, midnerve glabrous or softly hairy in lower ½, lateral nerves glabrous or softly hairy near base. Palea ≈ lemma, keels short-scabrid, interkeel smooth. Callus usually with small tuft of soft hairs. Rachilla c. 0.4 mm, very minutely papillose. Lodicules 0.3-0.4 mm. Anthers 1-1.3 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm.