Culms solitary or laxly tufted, erect, glaucous, 80–150 cm tall, ca. 2-noded, smooth, glabrous. Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous; ligule ca. 2 mm, membranous; leaf blade flat or involute, 0.4–0.5 cm wide, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial surface scabrous. Spike erect, 8–15 × 0.7–0.9 cm, with long, soft hairs at nodes; rachis margin ciliate; internodes 5–7(–30) mm. Spikelets 2 or 3 per node below middle of spike, 1 per node above middle, glaucous, 1.5–1.8 cm, with 4–6 florets; rachilla puberulent; internodes 1.5–2 mm. Glumes linear-lanceolate, 10–15 mm with proximal one shorter than distal, 3-veined, margin membranous, ciliate, apex acuminate or awned; lateral veins obscure. Lemma lanceolate, 5-veined, puberulent, margin ciliate, apex with awn 1–3 mm; first lemma 10–14 mm; callus with soft hairs ca. 1 mm. Palea equaling lemma, ciliate along keels distally, apex slightly 2-lobed. Anthers yellow, 3–4 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.