Culms tufted, 15-45 cm high, erect or geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades hairy or glabrous, up to 10 cm long, 1-2 mm wide. Spikes 3-6 cm long (excluding the awns), tapering towards the tip, with 1-2 vestigial spikelets at the base; rhachis sometimes breaking up at maturity. Fertile spikelets (3-)4-6, without any reduced spikelets above: glumes of lowest spikelet 7-10 mm long, usually with 3 teeth, 2-3 of which form awns; awns of terminal spikelet 3-6 cm long, distinctly longer than those of the lateral spikelets.