Plant densely tufted; shoots intravaginal. Culms 20–30(–50) cm tall, nodes 2. Leaf sheaths smooth, glabrous or rarely pubescent; auricles present as erect swellings; leaf blades conduplicate, filiform, 10–15(–25) cm × (0.25–)0.3–0.5 mm, veins 5, abaxial surface scabrid; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma in broad bands; ligule 0.4–0.6 mm, margin ciliate. Panicle loose, narrow; branches 1–3 cm, scabrid, 1 or 2 at lowest node. Spikelets 7–8 mm, yellowish green or purplish; florets 3–4; lower glume glabrous, linear or narrowly lanceolate, 3–3.5 mm; upper glume narrowly lanceolate, 4.2–4.8 mm, margins minutely ciliolate, scaberulous near apex; lemmas 5.3–5.7 mm, scabrid; awns 1.5–2.7 mm; palea keels and back scabrid. Anthers (2.1–)2.5–3 mm. Ovary apex glabrous or sparsely hairy. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.