Perennial, rhizomatous. Culms erect or ascending, slender, 40–70 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam., branched. Leaf sheaths glabrous or tuberculate-pilose upward and along margins; leaf blades linear-lanceolate, 6–14 × 0.3–0.8 cm, thinly pilose to glabrescent, narrowed to base, apex acuminate; ligule 1–2 mm. Panicle lax, narrowly lanceolate to ovate in outline, 5–12 cm; branches 2–4 cm, simple or once branched; racemes 1–3-noded with 3–9 spikelets, disarticulating at maturity, one spikelet of a pair sessile, the other pedicellate; rachis internodes 3–4 mm; pedicels 2.5–3 mm, ciliate, hairs up to 3 mm. Spikelets 4.5–6 mm; callus hairs 1–1.5 mm; lower glume lanceolate, softly pilose to silky villous, apex subacute or mucronate; upper glume acute, mucronulate; lower floret staminate, palea well developed; upper lemma 2-lobed to lower 1/4–1/3; awn 7–10 mm. Anthers 2.5–3.2 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Oct. 2n = 20*.