Culms erect, to 1 m high, glabrous or minutely scabrous. Leaves glabrous or with short, scattered hairs; blade flat or inrolled, to 20 cm long, 1–3 mm wide, often scabrous on the upper surface; ligule membranous, truncate, c. 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence a narrow, loose to moderately dense, spike-like panicle at maturity, sometimes with shortly spreading branches when young, 5–15 cm long; glumes acute to acuminate, 3–4 mm long, the lower usually shorter than upper by c. 1 mm; lemma 3–4 mm long, equal to or slightly longer than lower glume, smooth to minutely scabrous; awn inserted 0.5–0.9 mm below lemma apex, 10–20 mm long, sinuate or weakly twice-bent, the column neither strongly twisted nor distinctly thicker than the bristle. Flowers Oct.–Feb.
Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, HFE, VAlp. All States except NT. New Zealand. Rather uncommon in Victoria, recorded from a few cool, seasonally wet areas (Healesville, Leongatha, Ovens River, Marlo) and also from drier, rocky country in the east (e.g. catchments of the Avon, Mitchell, Buchan, Snowy and Brodribb Rivers).
