Rhizome neck 15–40 cm. Culms 0.5–3.1 m, to 1.5 cm in diam.; internodes terete, to 11 cm, glabrous, initially white powdery, longitudinal ribs prominent; wall 1–1.5 mm thick; pith membranous; nodes with level or weakly prominent supranodal ridge; sheath scar prominent. Branches 5 or 6. Culm sheath deciduous, narrowly triangular, shorter than internodes, thickly papery, retrorsely gray-yellow setose or glabrous, longitudinal ribs prominent; auricles and oral setae absent; ligule truncate or arcuate, ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous; blade erect, linear-triangular, glabrous. Leaves 1–3 per ultimate branch; sheath margins glabrous; auricles absent; oral setae 1–5, yellow, 1–2 mm; ligule purple-brown, truncate or irregularly fissured, glabrous; blade lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 1.7–3.2 × 0.3–0.6 cm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely white-gray pubescent, secondary veins 2-or 3-paired, transverse veins slightly distinct, base broadly cuneate or nearly rounded, one margin densely serrulate, other margin nearly smooth. Inflorescence unknown. New shoots May or Aug.