Culms erect, 80–115 cm tall. Leaf blade flat, 0.4–0.7 cm wide, glabrous, scabrous, or adaxial surface pilose along veins. Spike erect or nodding, 10–20 cm; rachis with short bristles. Spikelets 1 per node, somewhat remote, green or slightly tinged, 15–30 mm, with 4–11 florets; rachilla appressed pilose. Glumes lustrous green, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, subequal, 11–16 × 2–3 mm, 5–9-veined, very scabrous, margin scarious, apex acuminate, often asymmetric and 1-toothed. Lemma lanceolate, 9–13 mm, scabrous-hairy, apex 1-toothed; awn sometimes recurved, 3–35 mm or reduced to a cusp ca. 1 mm. Palea shorter than lemma, apex truncate or subobtuse. Anthers 3–7 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Sep. 2n = 28.