Tufted or shortly rhizomatous perennial, culms erect, often geniculate near base, to 70 cm high. Leaves glabrous or with scattered spreading hairs; blade flat or folded, to 40 cm long and 3 mm wide; sheath pale or purplish; ligule ciliate, c. 0.5 mm long, with tufts of longer hairs at the sides; inflorescence a slender, compact, race-mose panicle 2–6 cm long, usually with 4–10 spikelets. Spikelets 4–6-flowered, plump, ovoid, 7–14 mm long, pale green or purplish; glumes acute, subequal, 6–12 mm long; lemmas ovate to broad-elliptic, 5–8 mm long, with a notch c 1 mm deep at the apex from which a short (0.3–1.2 mm) awn arises; lemma surface smooth and glabrous except for callus and a few marginal hairs; palea ovate, slightly shorter than lemma, ciliate along margin. Flowers Nov.–Dec.