Perennial. Culms erect, up to 1 m tall, ca. 5 mm in diam., glabrous, 7–9-noded. Leaf sheaths longer than internodes, scabrid, persistent when dry; brown membranous; leaf blades 20–30 cm × 6–8 mm, adaxial surface pubescent, margins scabrid; ligule 2–4 mm. Panicle 20–30 cm; branches 2–4 per node, obliquely ascending, up to 15 cm, scabrid. Spikelets 15–20 × ca. 2 mm, florets 5–7; rachilla internodes 2–2.5 mm, shortly hairy, laterally visible; glumes narrow, margins membranous, lower glume ca. 5 mm, 1-veined, apex acuminate, upper glume 6–9 mm, 3-veined, apex long acuminate; lemmas narrow, ca. 10 × ca. 1 mm in side view, 3-veined, keel scabrid, lower margins and veins proximally minutely hairy, pubescent throughout, awned from apex; awn 10(–14) mm, slender, straight; palea 6–7 mm, keels thinly ciliate. Anthers ca. 2 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.