Perennial, often with rhizomes, basal sheaths persistent, fibrous or lacerate. Culms densely tufted, erect or geniculately ascending, 20–40 cm tall, pubescent or upper part often glabrous, 2-noded. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous; leaf blades linear-acuminate, hard, erect, flat or slightly inrolled, 8–15 cm × (2–)3–5 mm, densely pubescent; ligule short. Panicle ovoid, erect or spreading, (6–)10–12 × 5–6 cm; branches paired or single, often shorter than spikelet, scabrid, each bearing 1 spikelet. Spikelets lanceolate, 20–25 mm, florets 5–7, yellow; glumes lanceolate, glabrous, apex acuminate, lower glume 6–8 mm, 3–5-veined, upper glume 8–10 mm, 3–5-veined; lemmas broadly lanceolate, ca. 10 mm, 7-veined, glabrous, smooth or scabrid, margins and apex dry membranous; awn 3–5 mm, straight. Fl. Jun–Aug.