Culms 2.5–6 m, 1–3 cm in diam.; internodes green, terete, 15–25 cm, grooved above branches, glabrous; wall thick, basal internodes nearly solid; nodes conspicuously enlarged into very prominent, raised discs. Branches (3–)5(–7) per node, subequal. Culm sheaths deciduous, oblong-elliptic, thickly papery, brown setose; auricles absent; oral setae 2–3 mm; ligule arched, 1–1.3 mm, densely gray ciliate; blade readily deciduous, erect, subulate or subulate-lanceolate, 5–17 mm, glabrous. Leaves 2–4 per ultimate branch; sheath terete, 2–2.5 cm; auricles absent; oral setae several; ligule truncate or arched, short; blade narrowly lanceolate, 5–14 × 0.6–1.2 cm, glabrous, secondary veins 2-or 4-paired, transverse veins distinct. Flowering branches leafless or partly with terminal leaves; ultimate flowering branches slender, subtended by 3–5, gradually larger bracts. Pseudospikelet purple-green, 3–4.5 cm, bracts 4 or 5; florets 3–8. Glumes 2(or 3); rachilla internodes 4–6 mm, glabrous; lemma oblong-ovate, 1–1.4 cm, papery, apex acute; palea thinner than lemma, apex obtuse or slightly bifid. Ovary obovoid, ca. 2.5 mm, glabrous; style 1, ca. 1 mm; stigmas 2. Caryopsis nutlike, oblong-ellipsoid or broadly ellipsoid, 1–1.2 cm. New shoots Apr, purplish red, fl. Apr, fr. May.
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A bamboo. It grows 3-6 m tall and spreads 6-12 m wide. It has underground stems or rhizomes by which it spreads. The leaves are willow-like. The nodes are swollen.
It grows naturally in south-west China in evergreen forest in the mountains. It grows between 1,600-2,900 m altitude. The temperature range is-10°C to 29°C. The annual rainfall is 1,100-1,400 mm. The soil pH is 4.5-5.5. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. It can tolerate temperatures to-12°C. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
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Mountainous broad-leaved forests; at elevations from 1,500-2,200 metres.
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