Small densely tufted perennial, roots fibrous, basal sheaths soft, gray-brown. Culms up to 25 cm tall, cleistogenes absent. Leaf blades filiform, up to 6 cm, ca. 1 mm wide, glabrous, adaxial surface scabrous. Inflorescence a short contracted panicle or raceme, 2–4 cm; branches and pedicels scaberulous-puberulous. Spikelets with 3–5 florets; glumes 10–12 mm, pale green or purple-tinged, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous, acuminate; callus villous; lemma elliptic, deeply bifid to middle or below, 2.2–2.5 mm (to awn base), 5–7-veined, sparsely to densely pilose on back and tufts of hairs between veins across base of lobes, ciliate on margins, lobes long-acuminate into slender awns; central awn up to 1.5 cm with brown column, awns of lobes 4–5.5 mm. Anthers 1.2–1.5 mm. Lodicules ciliate, hairs ca. 0.5 mm. Caryopsis narrowly obovoid, ca. 1.5 mm; hilum linear-oblong, 2/5 caryopsis length.