Rather coarse, stiff tufts, 20–60 cm. Leaf-sheath firmly membranous, glabrous. Ligule 1.5–3 mm, abaxially smooth, rarely sparsely scabrid. Leaf-blade 4–15 cm ×c. 0.5 mm diam., often involute, or flat and up to 2 mm wide. Culm 7–30 cm. Panicle 4–20 × 1–18 cm; branches closely scabrid. Spikelets 3–4 mm. Glumes dissimilar; lower slightly shorter, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved, upper elliptic-ovate, ± acuminate, 3-nerved. Lemma 2.5–3 mm, elliptic-lanceolate; awn 2.5–4 mm, straight or ± curved. Palea keels c. 0.3 mm apart. Callus hairs 0.3–0.4 mm. Rachilla prolongation almost 0, or to 0.9 mm, with hairs to 1.2 mm. Lodicules 0.8–0.9 mm. Anthers (0.5)–0.6–0.7 mm. Caryopsis 1.3–1.6 × 0.4 mm.
[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing).]