Rhizome neck 3–10 cm. Culms 4–8 m, 1–3 cm in diam.; internodes terete, 20–25 cm, white powdery, glabrous or initially yellow-brown setose; wall 2–4 mm thick; sheath scars weakly prominent. Branches 4–10 per node, subequal; buds oblong, margins densely gray ciliate. Culm sheaths persistent, red-brown, narrowly triangular, much longer than internodes, proximally leathery, distally papery, sparsely brown setulose, longitudinal ribs prominent, margins initially brown ciliate, apex linear and narrow; auricles absent; oral setae erect, yellow-brown; ligule truncate, ca. 1 mm, glabrous; blade readily deciduous, reflexed, linear-lanceolate, glabrous, margins usually serrulate. Leaves 4 or 5 per ultimate branch; sheath margins gray-yellow ciliate; auricles absent; oral setae erect, light yellow-brown; ligule truncate, glabrous; blade lanceolate, 8.5–12(–16) × 0.5–1(–1.4) cm, abaxially white-gray pubescent proximally, secondary veins 3-paired, transverse veins obscure, base cuneate, margins spinescent-serrulate. Inflorescence unknown. New shoots Jul–Aug.