Culms to 2 m, 0.5–1.5 cm in diam.; internodes 5–22 cm, puberulent, with a dense, brown tomentose ring below each node; nodes slightly elevated, supra-nodal ridge slightly more prominent than sheath scar. Culm sheaths distally loosely enclosing culm, papery, initially brown strigose and white tomentose, margins brown ciliate; auricles absent or inconspicuous; oral setae sparse, short, scabrid; ligule truncate, 0.5–2 mm, glabrous or ciliate; blade erect, linear or narrowly lanceolate. Leaf sheath thick, rigid, glabrous except minutely pubescent at apex; auricles absent; ligule truncate, 1–3 mm, glabrous or ciliolate; blade oblong-lanceolate, 10–45 × 2–9 cm, abaxially glabrous or pale green and ± puberulent, secondary veins 6–13 pairs, tessellations nearly square, margins hispidulous, apex acuminate. Panicles 6–12 cm, enveloped at base by a leaf sheath, axis and branches densely puberulent; branches ascendant or erect. Spikelets usually pale purple, subterete, 2.5–7 cm; florets 5–9. Rachilla internodes 4–9 mm, densely white pubescent. Glumes usually thin, distally and marginally pubescent, otherwise puberulent or glabrous; lower glume 5–10 mm, inconspicuously 5–9-veined; upper glume 8–13 mm, 7–9-veined; lemma puberulent or subglabrous, 11–13-veined, transverse veins distinct, first lemma 1.3–1.5 cm, callus densely white pubescent; palea 5–10 mm, minutely appressed pubescent between keels, minutely pubescent near margins; lodicules 2–3 mm. Anthers purple or purple-yellow, 4–6 mm. Stigmas 2. New shoots Apr–May, fl. Jan–Aug. 2n = 48*.
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