Tufted perennial 10-35 cm high. Leaf-blades involute and setaceous, up to about 1 mm wide when flattened, glabrous or faintly scaberulous on the lower (outer) surface; ligule 2-4 mm long. Panicle narrow, contracted but not dense, 4-12 cm long. Glumes unequal, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 3-5-nerved, deeply suffused with purple, the lower 8.5-115 mm long, the upper 7.5-9.5 mm long; lemma narrowly elliptic-oblong, 4-5.5 mm long (including callus), hairy all over, entire at the tip; callus acuminate, pungent, 0.5-0.8 mm long. Awn bigeniculate, articulated at the base, 10-27 mm long; column plumose below the first knee with hairs 2.5-3.5 mm long, these shortening to 1-1.5 mm between the knees; bristles scaberulous.