Plant loosely tufted, shortly rhizomatous, old basal sheaths stramineous; shoots extravaginal. Culms 40–50 cm tall; nodes 1–2. Leaf sheaths glabrous; auricles present as erect swellings or absent; leaf blades flat or involute, gray-green 10–25 cm × 3–4 mm, margins smooth or scabrid, veins 13–15; adaxial to abaxial sclerenchyma strands absent, abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow discrete strands; ligule 0.4–0.7 mm, margin ciliate. Panicle loose, open, 11–15 cm, base included in uppermost leaf sheath, uppermost blade exceeding panicle; branches (2–)4–8 cm, 2 at lowest node, lower 1/2 naked. Spikelets 10–13 mm; florets 4–6(–8), closely overlapping; glumes pubescent, apex acuminate; lower glume narrowly lanceolate, 5–6 mm; upper glume lanceolate, 6–7 mm; rachilla internodes 1.2–1.5 mm, scabrid; lemmas 7–8 mm, densely pubescent; awns (2–)4–7mm; palea keels scabrid. Anthers 3.5–4 mm. Ovary apex glabrous. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul.