Culms ca. 1.4 m, 8–9 mm in diam.; internodes initially sparsely hairy, glaucous below nodes; nodes prominent. Culm sheaths initially proximally hairy, distally glabrous or nearly so, transverse veins obscure, margins ciliate, apex truncate; auricles and oral setae absent; ligule truncate, minutely ciliate; blade deciduous, initially green, slightly purple, strap-shaped, small, scabrous. Leaf sheaths glabrous; auricles absent, oral setae absent or scarce; ligule prominent; blade oblong-lanceolate, 9–20 × 1.7–2.6 cm, glabrous, secondary veins ca. 5-paired. Raceme terminal or lateral. Spikelets 3 or 4, lanceolate or linear, 11–15 × 0.3–0.4 cm; florets 5–10, slightly compressed; pedicel 1–3 cm, slightly hairy. Glumes 2, abaxially minutely setose, apex acute; rachilla 6–7 mm, apex hairy; lemma ca. 1.3 cm, minutely setose, many veined, ciliolate, apex acute or acuminate, mucronate; palea about as long as lemma, rarely slightly longer, sparsely setose; keels ciliolate, apex obtuse; lodicules 3, nearly equal, transparent, glabrous, margins ciliolate. Ovary and style glabrous; stigmas 3-cleft, plumose. Fl. Nov.