Shrubby bamboos. Rhizomes leptomorph, with long, running underground stems. Culms tillering, pluricaespitose; internodes terete, glabrous, sometimes white powdery or sparsely puberulent below nodes; wall thick; nodes flat in Sasa subg. Sasamorpha or prominent in S. subg. Sasa. Branches solitary, often about as large as culm. Culm sheaths persistent, longer than internodes in S. subg. Sasamorpha, otherwise shorter, papery to nearly leathery; auricles usually developed; blade lanceolate. Leaves usually large relative to culm, in palmate arrangement, transverse veins distinct, margins with substantial necrosis in winter. Inflorescence a loose panicle or raceme, usually subtended by tiny bracts. Spikelets purple or red at maturity, 4–8-flowered; rachilla disarticulating, extended on uppermost floret. Glumes 2, ± hairy, margins long ciliate; lemma ovate or oblong-lanceolate, nearly leathery, long mucronate; palea 2-keeled; lodicules 3, ovate, thin, transparent, margins ciliate. Stamens 6, long exserted; anthers yellow. Ovary ovoid; style 1, short; stigmas 3, plumose. Caryopsis dark brown at maturity.
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