Molinia caerulea

Perennial, densely cespitose grass.

30–90 cm high.

The culm is erect, rigid and smooth with one or two nodes in the lower half. The stem breaks easily at the nodes. The base is incrassate, bulbous and persistent. The rhizome forms dense tufts.

The leaves are alternate, sessile, sheathed and shorter than the culm. The lamina is 3–6 mm wide, very long-acuminate, with scabrous margin, blue-green and scarce-pubescent above. The midrib is light-colored. The ligule is hairy.

The roots are robust and yellow.

The inflorescence is a 4–20 cm long, constricted and erect-branched, dark purple panicle. The branches are spreading and smooth. The spikelets contain 1–4 florets and are dark purplish brown. The glumes are purple, 2–3 mm long and shorter than the spikelet. The outer glume is shorter than the inner glume. The lemma and palea are about equally long. The spikelet is awnless. An anther is 2 mm long and dark purple.

Grain.