Culms to 2.6 m, to ca. 1 cm in diam.; internodes green, 7–15 cm, initially sparsely hairy, becoming glabrous, glaucous below nodes; pith chambered. Culm sheaths deciduous, initially green, becoming yellow and striate, papery, sparsely hispid, ciliate; ligule arched, ciliolate; auricles well developed, elliptical or falcate, variable in shape and size; oral setae 3–5 mm, undulate; blade horizontal or recurved, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, base ca. 1/2 as wide as sheath apex. Leaves 2–5 per ultimate branch; sheath margins ciliolate; auricles small; oral setae ca. 3 mm, rough; ligule truncate, 1–1.5 mm; blade lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 5–18 × 1–2 cm. Pseudospikelets 2–8 on flowering branches, fascicled, 1.5–3.5 cm; florets 5–7. Glumes 1–3; rachilla internodes 1–3 mm; lemma ovate-lanceolate, 8–10 mm; palea 8–10 mm; lodicules 3.5–4.5 mm. Anthers ca. 7 mm. Style 5–6 mm; stigmas 3, 5.5–7 mm. New shoots May–Jun, fl. Mar–May.