Tufted perennial; culms to 1.5 m high. Leaves glabrous, smooth or slightly scabrous; blade flat or loosely inrolled, to 40 cm long, 2–5 mm wide; ligule acute, 6–11 mm long. Inflorescence a slender, rather dense, erect, often purplish panicle, to 20 cm long. Spikelets 4–6-flowered, 7–11 mm long (excluding awns); glumes acute, often purplish, the lower 1–3-nerved, 3.5–5.5 mm long, the upper 3–5-nerved, 4–5.5 mm long; lemma 4–5.2 mm long, densely hispid with short, semi-appressed bristles, apical teeth 4, more or less equal, 0.4–1.2 mm long, dark purplish; awn 9–18 mm long, inserted 35–50% of the lemma length from the apex, column not strongly twisting, 3–5.5 mm long; palea slightly shorter than lemma. Flowers Nov.–Jan.