Tall, slender, often peat-stained, pale tussock with pungent leaves often spirally twisting above and deciduous. Sheath to 20 cm, dark above, pale shining below, persistent, glabrous though often with many very short hairs between nerves. Ligule to 2 mm. Lamina to 30 cm × 6 mm, flat or U-shaped, disarticulating at ligule, abaxially many nerved, glabrous, adaxially below with interlocking hairs from near margins, abundant papillae above; margin smooth. Culm to 1 m, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 15 cm, congested, ± triangular, glabrous except for long hairs at branch axils and below spikelets. Spikelets of up to 7 lightly purpled florets. Glumes sometimes purpled, acute or shortly awned, < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 12 mm, 1- nerved or shortly 3-nerved, upper to 15 mm, 3-5- nerved, margin consistently with long hairs below otherwise glabrous. Lemma to 8 mm; hairs dense at margin and aside central nerve, sometimes in other intemerves but then fewer, ± reaching sinus; lateral lobes to 7 mm including awn to 3 mm or long triangular-acute; central awn to 20 mm reflexed from flat column up to 3 mm. Palea to 10 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Lodicules to 0.75 mm. Anthers to 3.5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.75 mm, stigma-styles to 4 mm. Caryopsis to 2.5 mm.

2n = 42

2n = 42

2n = 42

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