Tufted annual or perennial, culms erect to 80 cm high, nodes pubescent, usually hidden by the sheaths. Leaves densely short-pubescent; blade rather stiff, flat to slightly, rarely closely inrolled, to 20 cm long (often less than 10 cm), 2–7 mm broad; sheath loosely enveloping the culm, the uppermost usually with broad, pale, glabrous margins; ligule ciliate 0.5–2 mm long. Inflorescence a contracted to spreading, rather dense panicle to 40 cm long, the base of the panicle often partly concealed by uppermost leaf-sheath. Glumes 8–12 mm long, often purplish, acuminate or acute, sometimes toothed just below apex, the lower up to 2 mm longer than upper; lemma sometimes with a slight constriction just below apex, 4–6 mm long, brown to almost black at maturity, finely granular, with semi-appressed white hairs, often sparse toward apex; callus 1.3–2.5 mm long; awn falcate, 50–90 mm long, the straight part 10–19 mm long, column densely pubescent with hairs 0.3–1 mm long; palea slightly shorter than lemma, with a sparse line of hairs down the centre. Flowers Aug.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, Gold. Abundant on gypsum-rich soils within grassland and at the margins of samphire low-shrubland in the far north-west, less common in mallee-scrub areas. Often common following fire.
A collection from near Ouyen in the far northwest combines features of Austrostipa drummondii (habit, broad pale-margined leaf-sheaths, pubescent falcate awn) and A. eremophila (golden hairs on lemma with 'bald patch' below summit). The specimen is apparently non-fertile, with poorly developed anthers and no mature or developing grain and is presumably a result of hybridization.
