Coarse, dense, green or blue-green often very scabrous intravaginal tussocks, to c. 120 cm tall with a large bulk of dead dry leaves densely packed at the narrow base; laminae persistent. Sheaths light greenish-brown, later grey-brown, rarely slightly purplish, subcoriaceous, ± distinctly nerved, ± minutely scabrous; ligule 0.2-0.6 mm long, truncate, minutely ciliate across top and scabrous abaxially; lamina 35-65 cm × 1.8-3 mm, coriaceous, flat to folded, edges ± rolled, abaxially usually scabrous, occasionally almost smooth, adaxially finely ribbed, finely scabrous along ribs, margins obviously scabrous, tip ± acicular, straight-sided. Culms 60-110 cm high, erect or drooping, scabrous below panicle. Panicle 10-25 cm long, open; branchlets fine, not drooping, slightly spreading, finely scabrous, in clusters of 3-7, bare and undivided below, with numerous spikelets clustered at tips. Spikelets 3-7 mm long, 3-5-flowered, light green, often purplish. Glumes usually ± equal, 1.5- 3.5 mm long, 3-nerved, often scabrous near tip and on midnerve and margins, narrow- to ovate-lanceolate, acute. Lemma c. 2-4 mm long, 5-nerved, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, usually softly hairy on midnerve and lateral nerves near base, ± short scabrous elsewhere. Palea 2-3.5 mm long, scabrous on keels in upper 2/3 and smooth below, scabrous between keels. Lodicules 0.5-0.6 mm long. Callus with long tuft of soft tangled hairs. Rachilla slightly greater than 0.5 mm long, minutely scabrous with some longer hairs, projection sometimes twice as long. Anthers 1-2 mm long. Caryopsis 1-1.5 × 0.5- 1 mm.

Coarse, dense, green or blue-green often very scabrid tussocks, to c. 120 cm, with a large bulk of dead dry leaves densely packed at the narrow base; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light greenish brown, later grey-brown, rarely slightly purplish, subcoriaceous, ± distinctly ribbed, ± minutely scabrid. Ligule 0.2-0.6 mm, truncate, minutely ciliate, abaxially scabrid. Leaf-blade 35-65 cm × 1.8-3 mm, coriaceous, flat, to folded and ± inrolled, abaxially usually scabrid, occasionally almost smooth, adaxially finely ribbed, finely scabrid on ribs; margins obviously scabrid, tip ± acicular, straight-sided. Culm 60-110 cm, erect or drooping, internodes scabrid below panicle. Panicle 10-25 cm, open; branches fine, not drooping, slightly spreading, finely scabrid, in clusters of 3-7, naked and undivided below, with numerous spikelets clustered at tips. Spikelets 3-7 mm, 3-5-flowered, light green, often purplish. Glumes usually ± equal, 1.5-3.5 mm, 3-nerved, often scabrid near tip and on midnerve and margins, narrow- to ovate-lanceolate, acute. Lemma c. 2-4 mm, 5-nerved, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, ± short scabrid but usually softly hairy on midnerve and lateral nerves near base. Palea 2-3.5 mm, keels scabrid in upper ⅔ and smooth below, interkeel scabrid. Callus with long tuft of soft tangled hairs. Rachilla slightly > 0.5 mm, minutely scabrid with some longer hairs; prolongation sometimes twice as long. Lodicules 0.5-0.6 mm. Anthers 1-2 mm. Caryopsis 1-1.5 × 0.5-1 mm.