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2 m high; Graminoid; Notes: Tall, tufted, perennial grass, up to 2 m high when in flower. Culm erect, rigid, reed-like, terete, unbranched, yellowish to blue-green to purplish tinted, glabrous, nodes purple-brown with fringe of dense, white, silky, ascending hairs, 4 mm long. Leaf blade inconspicuous, rolled over entire length of 20 cm, scattered white setose hairs especially along margin, stiff and hard to the touch. Ligule brown, membranous, extending as 2 projections along culm at collar conjunction with rolled lamina base, projections 1 cm long, linear. Leaf sheath grey-green, canaliculate, somewhat glaucous, practically glabrous. Inflorescence a compound panicle of digitate racemes, borne on stout peduncle up to 10 cm long glabrous. Raceme up to 25 cm long, swollen purple structure at base. Spikelets large, ellipsoid, arranged alternately, 6 x 1.5 mm. Glume green to pale purple, ribbed, pubescent. Awn long, undulate 50 mm long, basally with pinnately arranged, stiff long white bristles, apically more slender of whiplash structure, minutely setulose. Anthers large, 4 x 1 mm conspicuous, bearing golden yellow pollen. |