Perennial from a short thick rhizome. Culms erect, 50–70 cm tall, 4–6-noded, lower nodes glabrous or puberulous. Leaf sheaths compressed, keeled, lowest hirsute, upper glabrous; leaf blades flat, fairly rigid, 10–15 × 0.3–0.4 cm but upper blades much shorter, glabrous, apex acuminate; ligule 3–4 mm. Inflorescence axis 3–6 cm; racemes 2–3, 2.5–4 cm, axils glabrous or bearded; pedicels paired but lateral spikelets poorly developed except sometimes in middle of raceme, spikelets in 2–3 irregular rows; rachis ca. 1 mm wide. Spikelets pale green, elliptic to obovate, 2.8–3 mm, glabrous, acute; upper glume and lower lemma 3-veined with laterals marginal; upper lemma yellowish green, ovate, ca. 2.5 mm, slightly shorter than spikelet, minutely punctate, obtuse. Fl. and fr. May–Sep.

* Dry mountain slopes, along moist roadsides; 1200–1900 m. Yunnan.