Perennial. Culms 30–90 cm tall, 1–2.5 mm in diam., tufted, rigid, 3–4-noded. Leaf sheaths shorter than internodes, pilose and long-pilose near summit; ligules a line of hairs; leaf blades 3–15 cm × 2–5 mm, linear, usually involute, pilose. Panicle 2–8 × 1–2.5 cm, contracted, cylindrical in outline; branches ascending, long pilose in axils, lower branches 0.5–1.5 cm. Spikelets yellowish brown or purplish, oblong, subsessile or with very short pedicels, ca. 7 × 2.5–3 mm, 4–17-flowered. Glumes 1-veined, apex acute, lower glume ca. 1.5 mm, upper glume ca. 2 mm. Lemmas chartaceous, ovate-oblong, apex mucronate, lowest lemma ca. 2 mm. Palea persistent, elliptical, chartaceous, ca. 1.8 mm, apex acute, along keels without wing only ciliate, margins unrolled and ciliate. Stamens 3; anthers yellowish, ca. 0.4 mm. Caryopsis yellow, elliptical, ca. 0.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–Oct.