Plant loosely tufted; shoots extravaginal. Culms rigid, 65–90 cm tall, glabrous or villous. Leaf sheaths glabrous or pubescent on innovation shoots; auricles present as erect swellings or absent; leaf blades usually folded, occasionally flat, 25–35 cm × 3–5 mm. Panicle loose, erect, 12–15(–19) cm; branches 3–10 cm, 2 at lower nodes, lower 1/3 naked. Spikelets 9–10 mm; florets 4–5; glumes glabrous or pubescent; lower glume lanceolate, 3.8–4.2 mm; upper glume lanceolate, 5.3–5.7 mm; rachilla internodes scabrid or pubescent; lemmas 6.8–7.2 mm, scabrid or villous; awns (0.5–)1–2(–5) mm; palea keels ciliolate to long-ciliate. Anthers 2.5–3.5 mm. Ovary apex glabrous or sparsely hairy. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.