Bright green perennial tufts 5–25 cm, with culms overtopping leaves, occasionally stoloniferous; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath hyaline, light green to light brown, prominently ribbed, usually smooth, rarely with sparse prickle-teeth. Ligule 1–4.5 mm, truncate to obtuse, denticulate or entire, glabrous. Leaf-blade 2–7 cm × 1.5–2 mm, flat, or folded and c. 0.5 mm diam., abaxially smooth, rarely uppermost leaf scabrid, adaxially prominently ribbed, ribs usually scabrid; margins often entirely smooth, sometimes sparsely, or rarely densely, minutely scabrid, tip fine, blunt, scabrid. Culm erect, internodes glabrous. Panicle (1.5)–2–6 cm, open, laxly oblong to pyramidal, with spreading sometimes flexuous branches; rachis smooth, branches and pedicels smooth or scabrid. Spikelets 2–2.5–(3) mm, usually purplish. Glumes ± unequal, acute to acuminate, keel finely scabrid near tip, margins smooth, rarely scabrid at tip; lower = spikelet, ovate-lanceolate, upper 1.7–2.5–(2.9) mm, elliptic-lanceolate. Lemma 1.5–2 mm, glabrous, faintly 5-nerved, ovate, obtuse; awn (1.5)–2–3 mm, usually middorsal, usually geniculate, sometimes ± straight, slightly projecting beyond glumes. Palea c. 0.5 mm, ovate. Lodicules c. 0.3 mm. Callus with minute hairs. Anthers (0.4)–0.6–0.9 mm. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.7 mm.
[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing).]