Low-growing, flattish, or erect, often silky-hairy, green to yellow-green, tight tufts, shortly rhizomatous; leaves usually much < culms, stiffly long-hairy but not invariably so, disarticulating at ligule; new shoots intravaginal, crowded, ± swollen at base. Sheaths mostly hairy; collar hairs 1.5-2.5 mm long, often extending across back of lamina; ligule c. 0.4 mm long; lamina to 12 cm long, acicular, inrolled, often with long hairs, margins thickened, scabrous. Culms up to 30 cm tall, often slightly short-hairy below inflorescence. Racemose panicle or raceme small, to 3.5 cm long, erect, of few spikelets on short stiff pedicels; rhachis and pedicels closely short-scabrous with longer stiff hairs below spikelets and at branch axils. Spikelets 4-7-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes purpled centrally, often with regular horizontal bars, ovatelanceolate, obtuse or subobtuse, (6)—7—10 mm long, ± equal, lower 7-nerved, upper 5-nerved, occasionally long-hairy between nerves. Lemma 2-2.5 mm long, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs dense, continuous, upper row < lemma lobes, lower row ± overlapping upper, some few hairs elsewhere; lemma lobes 1.5-3 mm long, tapering, usually tipped with fine awn. Central awn 3-5 mm long; column 1-1.5 mm long, > upper lemma hairs. Palea 3-5 mm long, ± = upper lemma hairs, glabrous between keels, or occasionally with long hairs, margins longhairy. Callus c. 0.4 mm long, marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rhachilla c. 0.5 mm long. Anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long. Caryopsis 1.3-1.5 × 0.7-0.8 mm; embryo c. 0.7 mm long; hilum c. 0.3 mm long. Endemic.

2n = 48

Low-growing, flattish, or erect, often silky-hairy, green to yellow-green, tight tufts, shortly rhizomatous; leaves usually « culms, stiffly long-hairy but not invariably so, disarticulating at ligule; branching intravaginal, shoots crowded, ± swollen at base. Leaf-sheath mostly hairy; apical tuft of hairs 1.5-2.5 mm, often extending dorsally below blade. Ligule c. 0.4 mm. Leaf-blade to 12 cm, acicular, inrolled, often with long hairs, margins thickened, scabrid. Culm to 30 cm, internodes often slightly short-hairy below inflorescence otherwise glabrous. Racemose panicle or raceme small, to 3.5 cm, erect, of few spikelets on short stiff pedicels; rachis and pedicels closely short-scabrid with longer stiff hairs below spikelets and at branch axils. Spikelets 4-7-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes purplish centrally, often with regular horizontal bars, ovate-lanceolate, obtuse or subobtuse, (6)-7-10 mm, ± equal; lower 7-nerved, upper 5-nerved, occasionally long-hairy between nerves. Lemma 2-2.5 mm, 9-nerved, upper and lower rows of hairs dense, continuous, upper row &lt; lemma lobes, lower row ± overlapping upper, some few hairs elsewhere; lobes 1.5-3 mm, tapering, usually tipped by fine awn; central awn 3-5 mm, column 1-1.5 mm, &gt; upper lemma hairs. Palea 3-5 mm, ≈ upper lemma hairs, interkeel glabrous or occasional long hairs, margins long-hairy. Callus 0.4-0.6 mm, marginal hair tufts overlapping lower lemma hairs. Rachilla 0.5-0.6 mm. Anthers 0.3-0.5 mm. Caryopsis 1.3-1.5 × 0.7-0.8 mm; embryo c. 0.7 mm; hilum c. 0.3 mm. Plate 12A.

Plant up to 20cm tall, ± geniculate; leaves ± stiffly hairy; sheath marked with dark purple; blade divergent from distinct collar; spikelets few; glumes ovate-lanceolate with dark dorsal stripe, lower 7-9- nerved, upper 5-7-nerved; lemma 9-nerved, with dense transverse series of long hairs; awn c. 5 mm long; palea broad (space between nerves c. ¼ of palea length).

Gramen ad 20 cm altum, ± geniculatum; folia ± setosa; vagina fuse is maculis ourourata: lamina a consDicuo collari extrorsus tendens; spiculae paucae; glumae ovato-lanceolatae, fusca virga in dorso, inferiores 7-9-nerves, superiores 5-7-nerves; lemma 9-nerve, densa transversa serie pilorum longorum; arista c. 5 mm longa; palea lata (nervis inter se distantibus quartam partem paleae).