Perennial; basal sheaths closely imbricate, appressed hispid between veins. Culms up to 1.8 m tall, ca. 3 mm in diam., glabrous, lower nodes waxy. Leaf sheaths firm, smooth, glabrous, lower longer but upper shorter than internodes, stiffly bearded at mouth; leaf blades linear-lanceolate, 10–20 × 0.8–1 cm, tomentose on both surfaces, abaxial surface glaucous, base rounded, apex acute; ligule ca. 1 mm. Racemes 5–7, digitate, 11–17 cm, hairs dirty white tinged purplish; rachis internodes and pedicels 3/4 spikelet length, ciliate. Sessile spikelet ca. 4.5 mm, purplish; callus hairs 1/3 spikelet length; lower glume narrowly elliptic-oblong, papery, back concave and villous below middle, flanks ciliate at upper 1/3, 2-veined between keels, connected by veinlets below apex, upper keels scabrid, apex narrowly truncate-emarginate; upper lemma narrowly ovate, very shortly 2-toothed; awn 0.9–1.3 cm, column glabrous. Anthers not seen. Fr. Oct.