Loosely tufted perennial with short rhizomes; culms (12-) 28-50 cm high, erect or geniculately ascending, slender. Leaf-blades folded-setaceous, sometimes ± flat, up to 20 cm long, smooth on the lower (outer) surface, green, with numerous sclerenchyma strands, 1 on the keel, 1 along each margin and 1 below each of the 4-6 lateral nerves, in addition there is 1 above each lateral nerve forming 4-6 conspicuous ribs on the upper surface; ligule a narrow rim c. 0.5 mm long. Panicle narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 4-10 cm long, lax and sometimes open, the branches flexuous, smooth or scaberulous. Spikelets (2-)4-6-flowered, (4.5-)8-10mm long (excluding the awns), usually deeply suffused with purple; lower glume 2.5-4mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume 4-5mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas narrowly lanceolate in side-view, 5.5-6mm long, smooth or scabrid towards the tip, with an awn 2-3mm long; palea scabrid along the keels; anthers 0.5-0.8(-0.9)mm long; ovary with a few hairs at the tip.

Type: Kashmir, Thomson (K).

Distribution: Kashmir; Tibet, Nepal and the western Himalayas.

4000-5000m.