Tufted, shortly rhizomatous perennial 60-150 cm high. Leaf-blades usually flat, 3.5-8(-12) mm wide, glabrous below, scaberulous or puberulous above; ligule 0.4-0.9 mm long. Panicle usually narrow with ascending branches, often 1-sided, 10-40 cm long. Glumes ± equal, 7.5-10 mm long, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved, pallid or green, lemma narrowly elliptic, 6-8 mm long (including callus), hairy all over, the hairs usually longer below the awn, entire at the tip; callus conical and blunt to acuminate and pungent 0.5-1 mm long. Awn bigeniculate, not articulated at the base, 13-20 mm long; column scabrid or shortly hairy (hairs 0.2 mm long); bristle scaberulous.