perennial; culms erect, simple, 2–3 ft. high, glabrous, smooth, about 5-noded, internodes exserted, except the lowest; sheaths tight, glabrous or sometimes bearded at the mouth, finely striate, firm, lowest short, tomentose at the very base and persistent; ligule a shortly ciliate rim; blades linear, tapering to a setaceous point, 4–8 in. by 1 1/2–2 lin. (when expanded), more or less convolute, rigid, suberect, glabrous, smooth; panicle erect, oblong, rather dense, 5–6 in. long; axis slender, smooth; branches solitary, irregularly approximate or the lowest somewhat remote and up to 2 in. long, branched from the base; branchlets very short, 3–1-spiculate, scabrid; spikelets subsessile, very crowded, linear, compressed, 4–5 lin. by 1 lin., closely 10–14-flowered, yellowish-green; rhachilla persistent, slightly scaberulous, joints very short; glumes subequal, ovate, obtuse, 1/2 lin. long, keel scabrid; valves broadly and obliquely ovate-oblong in profile, more or less obtuse, 1 lin. long, firm, very smooth, yellowish below, dull green in the upper part, side-nerves rather inconspicuous in reflected light; pales persistent, subequal to the valves, rather broad, keels stout and scabrid; anthers 1/2 lin. long. null