Culms basally erect or suberect, to 10 m, to 4 cm in diam., apically long pendulous or clambering; internodes terete, straight, to 60 cm, basally glossy and glabrous, distally white powdery and stiffly white hairy; wall 1–2 mm thick. Branches 50(–100) cm. Culm sheaths tardily deciduous, straw-colored, white powdery and stiffly white hairy abaxially, distal margins with cilia 1–2 cm, base without a projection, apex truncate; auricles inconspicuous; oral setae many, 1–1.8 cm; ligule truncate, short, 1–1.5 mm, margin ciliate; blade reflexed, linear-lanceolate, more than 1/2 or 2/3 length of sheath, abaxially glabrous, apex acuminate. Leaves 6–8 per ultimate branch; sheaths 6–9 cm, often white powdery; auricles inconspicuous; oral setae numerous, 2–3 mm; blade oblong-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 18–30 × 2–3.5 cm. Pseudospikelets fusiform, 2–3.5 cm, glabrous; prophyll ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 4–8 mm, thin, translucent, apex obtuse, keels 2, ciliate; bracts 1 to several, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 7–22 mm, papery, many veined, apex obtuse to acute or mucronate; rachilla disarticulating. Glumes absent; fertile lemma oblong-lanceolate, to 2.4 cm, many veined, apex acute, long mucronate, mucro ca. 3 mm; sterile lemma oblong-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm, mucro short. Palea to 2.7 cm, involute, papery, many veined, apex bifid; lodicules absent. Filaments to 25 mm, bases often connate; anthers initially dull green, pale yellow when mature, 7–9 mm. Pistil purple, 1.8–2.5 cm. Fruit unknown. New shoots Jul–Aug.
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