Hermaphroditic. tufted, rhizomatous, tufts sparse to dense, some shoots clustered, pale green or bluish-gray-green; tillers intra- and extravaginal. Culms 25--80 cm tall. Leaves; leaf sheaths basal most sheaths, bulb absent; ligules of lower culm and tiller leaves commonly glabrous abaxially; Blades of cauline leaves flag-leaf blades folded or involute, with involute margins, moderately thick or thin, moderately thin or soft, sterile shoot blades 10--45 cm long, 0.4--1 mm wide, all involute, distinctly narrower than cauline blades, sparsely pubescent adaxially. Panicles 8--18 cm long, loosely contracted, or open and narrowly pyramidal; axis with 3--6 branches per node; primary branches ascending to spreading, smooth, or sparsely to densely scabrous; spikelets several to many per branch. Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, not bulbiferous; glumes unequal, infrequently glaucous; lower glumes 1(--3)-veined; upper glumes shorter than or subequaling the lowest lemma; lemmas 2.5--3.5 mm long, finely muriculate, intermediate veins glabrous; paleas scabrous, medially glabrous over the keels, intercostal region glabrous. caryopses 0.9--1.1 mm long, pale-brown. 2n = 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 72, 83. Genotype: Ph