Culms 3–4 m, 1–3 cm in diam.; internodes initially purple-green, becoming green or gray-green in age, ca. 30 cm, thinly white powdery, pilosulose, scabrous; nodal ridge raised, more prominent than sheath scar; intranode ca. 3 mm. Culm sheaths dark green-purple, with milky-white or purplish stripes, at lower nodes distally scattered with small, brown spots, white powdery, distally densely strigose; auricles purple, falcate or small, often only one developed; oral setae flexuose; ligule dark purple, truncate or arcuate, erose, purple or white ciliate; blade purple-green, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, base slightly narrower than apex of sheath. Leaves usually 2 per ultimate branch; auricles minute; oral setae deciduous; blade adaxially dark green, 5–11 × 0.9–1.5 cm, abaxially glaucous. Infloresence not known. New shoots Apr.