Tufted rhizomatous perennial; culms many-noded, up to 50 cm high. Leaf-blades glaucous, spreading or deflexed, 1.2-3 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide. Panicle loose, up to 7 cm long; branches slender, up to 4.5 cm long bearing 3-4 remote spikelets; pedicles as long as the spikelets. Spikelets up to 13 mm long, 4-5-flowered; rhachilla internodes minutely hairy, a third to half as long as the florets; lower glume lanceolate-acute, (1.7-)34 mm long, upper glume broadly oblong, obtuse, 3.5-5 mm long; lemmas ovate-oblong, 3-nerved, glabrous, minutely 2-toothed, 4.5-5.5 mm long, mucronate or with an awn up to 1 mm long, purple towards the apex.