Plant densely tufted, shortly rhizomatous. Culms 30–80 cm tall. Leaf sheaths smooth or scabrid; leaf blades flat or involute, stem blades 2–4 cm, basal blades up to 20 cm, adaxial surface scaberulous; ligule 0.1–0.3 mm, ciliolate. Panicle broadly ovate in outline, very loose, 7–16 cm; branches 3–6 cm, widely spreading, scabrid, few-spiculate, 2 at lowest node. Spikelets 10–12 mm; florets 4–6; glumes smooth, almost entirely hyaline, thickened around veins; lower glume narrowly lanceolate, 4–4.5 mm; upper glume broadly lanceolate, 5–5.5 mm; lemmas narrowly oblong, (5–)6–6.5 mm, smooth or scabrid upward, apex acuminate or with awn-point; awns 1–1.5 mm; palea keels scabrid. Anthers 2.5–4 mm. Ovary apex sparsely hairy. Fl. and fr. Aug–Sep.