Culms apically drooping, 2–3 m; branches climbing to 6(–15) m, 1–1.5 cm in diam.; internodes initially light purple, becoming gray-green and scarred, to 30 cm, hispidulous. Branches 2 to several. Culm sheaths tardily deciduous, initially green, thickly papery or leathery, margins with red-brown bristles to 2(–3.7) cm; auricles readily deciduous, prominent, ovate; ligule short, fimbriate; blade reflexed, green, lanceolate. Leaf sheaths glabrous; auricles obvious; ligule truncate, rigid, fimbriate; blade elliptic-lanceolate, usually 6–30 × 1–4 cm. Spikelets 1.8–3.5 cm; florets 2–7, apical one sterile; internode of rachilla 6–7 mm. Glumes 2, narrowly lanceolate; 1–5-veined; lemma lanceolate, 7–9-veined, apex mucronate; palea about as long as or longer than lemma, keels ciliate; lodicules 3. Anthers slender. Ovary ovoid; styles 2, basally joined; stigmas plumose. Caryopsis oblong-ovoid. New shoots May, fl. Feb–Jul.
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