Culms laxly tufted, 40–100 cm tall, 4-or 5-noded, glabrous, or puberulent below nodes; nodes glabrous or white pilose. Leaf sheath glabrous or outer margin ciliate; leaf blade 15–30 × 0.3–0.8 cm, both surfaces glabrous or scabrous, or abaxial surface scabrous and adaxial surface pilose. Spike erect or slightly nodding, 18–22 cm. Spikelets 1 per node, green, 15–25 mm excluding awns, with 5–8 florets. Glumes lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, apex acute or acuminate; proximal glume 7–14 mm, 3–5-veined; distal glume 8–14.5 mm, 5–7-veined. Lemma 8–13 mm, glabrous only abaxially, but scabrous near base, margin, and along veins; callus with hairs 6–10 mm; awn straight, 20–30 mm. Palea slightly shorter than to equaling lemma, ciliolate along keels distally, hispidulous between keels distally, apex emarginate or rounded. Anthers yellowish. Ovary hirsute. Fl. and fr. May–Jul. 2n = 28*.