Plants usually with short rhizomes. Culms laxly tufted, 75–100 cm tall, glabrous or puberulent below spike. Leaf sheath glabrous; leaf blade flat, 7.5–27 × 0.3–0.5 cm, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial surface puberulent or scabrous, margin ciliate. Spike usually curved, 8–15 cm. Spikelets usually 2 per node in proximal part of spike or with short branch at basal node, 1 per node in distal part of spike, greenish or tinged purplish, 16–20 mm, with 5–7 florets. Glumes lanceolate, laxly villous, apex acuminate or pointed; proximal glume 5–8 mm; distal glume 6–8 mm. Lemma oblong-lanceolate, densely villous; first lemma 9.5–10.5 mm; awn purple, 5–11 mm. Palea equaling lemma, abaxially laxly puberulent, margin ciliate (hairs hyaline, 0.6–1.2 mm), apex narrowly truncate. Fl. and fr. late summer.