Habit. Perennial. Rhizomes present, short. Culms erect or decumbent, 30-90 cm tall. Lateral branches branched. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 8-30 cm long, 4-5 mm wide. Inflorescence. Inflorescence solid, a raceme (spicate). Racemes 1-2, straight or arcuate, 5-30 cm long, 5-13 mm wide. Spikelets. Spikelets sessile. Fertile spikelets many flowered, with at least 2 fertile florets (2-6), comprising 2-6 fertile floret(s), with diminished florets at the apex, oblong, laterally compressed, 7-18 mm long. Glumes. Glumes dissimilar, thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, scarious, keeled, 1-keeled, 1-3(-7) -nerved. Upper glume ovate, 6.5-13 mm long, scarious, without keels, 7-13 -nerved. Florets. Fertile lemma 2-4 mm long, without keel, 3 -nerved (in the body). Lemma surface indumented. Lemma apex lobed, awned, 1 -awned. Median (principal) awn 4-14 mm long overall. Anthers 3.