Perennial forming tough tussocks; roots sometimes coated in sand. Culms erect or slightly geniculate, 15–40 cm tall, unbranched. Leaf sheaths glabrous, rarely collar with short hairs or sometimes silky hairs at mouth; leaf blades flat or involute, 5–10 cm, abaxial surface smooth, adaxial surface scabrid. Panicle narrow, 5–11 cm; branches 1.5–4 cm, paired, appressed to axis; pedicels often villous below spikelet. Spikelets yellowish green or gray-purple; glumes slightly unequal with upper longer, 1-veined, lower glume narrowly lanceolate-oblong, (7–)9–11 mm, scabrid on vein, subacute, mucronate, upper glume linear-oblong, (9–)11–12 mm, smooth on vein, acute, mucronate; callus ca. 0.5 mm, obtuse; lemma 6–9 mm, streaked gray-purple, smooth or punctately scabrid; awn with 1–2 mm slightly twisted column, central branch 1–1.4 cm, laterals 7–9.7 mm. Anthers 3.5–4 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Sep.

* Mountain slope forests, under montane scrub, sandy riversides; 3000–3900 m. Xizang, Yunnan.