Culms 25–33 cm tall. Basal leaf sheaths finally forming dense fibrous clumps; leaf blades 2.5–10 × ca. 0.1 cm, adaxial surface pilose with long scattered hairs or subglabrous, abaxial surface glabrous. Racemes 9–15 cm, spikelets distant by about their own length on lower part of rachis, imbricate above. Spikelets (8.5–)10–22 mm, dark gray or gray-green; florets (4–) 6–17, loosely imbricate, rachilla visible; lower glume lanceolate, asymmetrical, broadened on one side into a lateral lobe, 1.5–3.5 mm, acuminate; upper glume narrowly lanceolate-oblong, 4–5.5 mm, apex emarginate and mucronate; lemmas lanceolate-oblong, 3.3–4.5 mm to sinus, 2-dentate, central awn a little shorter or about equaling its lemma, 2.5–4 mm, slightly flexuose, teeth acute to truncate, lateral veins extended into 0.4–1 mm mucros; palea keels very narrowly winged, ciliolate. Anther 1, 1.4–2 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.