Culms ca. 1.5 m, ca. 4 mm in diam.; internodes white powdery especially below nodes, rigid, subsolid, with small lumen. Culm sheaths purplish, 6–10 cm, longer than internodes, pushed off by emerging branch but closely enclosing branch, with fine strigae especially near margins and base, margins long ciliate; auricles and oral setae absent; blade triangular-lanceolate. Leaves 2(or 3) per ultimate branch; sheath white powdery, glabrous or initially setose, margins long ciliate; ligule truncate, 0.5–2 mm; blade oblong-lanceolate, 10–20 × 1.3–3 cm, glabrous or abaxially pilose, secondary veins 6–8 pairs, transverse veins distinct. Inflorescence an open panicle, 5–11 cm, with 4–8(–10) spikelets or a raceme of 2–4 spikelets; axis and pedicels densely setulose and white powdery, pedicels 3–17 mm, sometimes subtended by a minute, basal bract. Spikelets deep purple at maturity, 0.8–3.5 × 0.4–0.6 cm. Rachilla internodes 2–4 mm, puberulent, apex cup-shaped and ciliolate. Glumes 2, ovate, lower 3–6 mm, puberulent, 7–9-veined, margins ciliate, apex cuspidate; lemma 9–10 mm, puberulent, 11-veined, margins purple ciliate, apex cuspidate; palea slightly longer than lemma, abaxially puberulent, keels red ciliate, apex 2-cleft; lodicules 3, ovate-lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm, membranous, with distinct basal veins, margins fimbriate. Anthers pale yellow, 4–5 mm. Ovary 3–4 mm, narrow; style short; stigmas 3. New shoots May, fl. May–Jul.
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