Culms ca. 4 m, 2–3 cm in diam.; internodes ca. 25 cm; nodes elevated, supra-nodal ridge more prominent than sheath scar; intranode ca. 5 mm. Culm sheaths green, sparsely strigose or with papillae left by fallen hairs; auricles absent; oral setae absent or few, erect; ligule arcuate, ca. 2 mm or very short, hirtellous, margin ciliate; blade deciduous, narrowly linear. Leaves (1 or)2 or 3(or 4) per ultimate branch; sheath glabrous; auricles absent; oral setae absent or few; ligule short, hirtellous; blade narrow, linear or linear-lanceolate, to 18 × 0.5–1 cm, sometimes broader, both surfaces glabrous. Racemes with 2–4 spikelets; peduncle slender, glabrous; axes and pedicels slender, glabrous; pedicels 1–1.5 mm, sometimes subtended by a small, membranous bract. Spikelets initially purplish, linear-lanceolate, to 7 cm; florets many; rachilla internodes 4.5–6 mm, apex ciliate. Glumes 2–4, gradually larger, uppermost one similar to lemma but slightly smaller; lemma ca. 1.5 cm, 13–15-veined, transverse veins adaxially distinct, apex acuminate, mucronate; palea much smaller than lemma, keels distally ciliate, apex obtuse or acute, exceeding keels; lodicules 3, anterior pair obliquely lanceolate, 5–9-veined, apex ciliolate. Stamens 3; anthers ca. 4 mm. Style shortly 3-fid. New shoots and fr. Apr–May.
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