Culms laxly tufted, erect, 35–75 cm tall, 0.5–1 mm in diam., 4-or 5-noded, glabrous but puberulent at nodes. Leaf sheath equaling or longer than internode, villous, persistent basal part often lacerate, fibrous; ligule ca. 0.5 mm, hyaline-membranous, apex truncate; leaf blade green, flat or involute, 15–20 × 0.3–0.4 cm, abaxial surface scabrous, adaxial surface villous. Spike erect or slightly nodding, 9.2–10.5 cm excluding awns; rachis glabrous, but margin hispid-ciliate; nodes densely pubescent. Spikelets 1 per node, 13–16 mm, with 4–9 florets; rachilla puberulent. Glumes oblong-lanceolate, herbaceous, hirsute, margin membranous, apex acuminate with mucro 0.5–1 mm; proximal glume 5–6.5 mm, 3-or 4-veined; distal glume 6.5–7.5 mm, 4-or 5-veined. Lemma oblong-lanceolate, proximally densely pubescent, distally scabrous-ciliate; first lemma 7.5–8 mm; callus obtuse, densely puberulent, laterally with hairs 0.6–0.8 mm; awn erect, 10–20 mm. Palea shorter than or subequaling lemma, ciliate along distal 1/2–3/4 of keels, pubescent between keels, apex rounded-obtuse. Anthers yellow, 2–2.5 mm. Caryopsis brown, oblong, ca. 5.5 × 1.5 mm, densely white hispidulous. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug. 2n = 28*.