Culms to 8 m, 3–4 cm in diam., straight; internodes gray-green at maturity, to 26 cm, initially thinly white powdery, glabrous; wall ca. 3 mm thick; nodal ridge weakly elevated, as prominent as sheath scar. Culm sheaths milky-white, tinged with yellow-green, unequally striped with purple, with sparse, small, brown spots, not white powdery, glabrous, margins ciliate; auricles and oral setae absent; ligule pale yellow-green, truncate or slightly convex, tall, narrow, notched or laciniate, with pale cilia to 5 mm; blade spreading or reflexed, greenish cream or sometimes purple, linear, flat. Leaves 2 or 3 per ultimate branch; auricles absent; oral setae sometimes present; ligule exserted, yellow-green; blade linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, 5–17 × 1.2–2 cm, abaxially proximally pilose. Inflorescence not known. New shoots late Apr. 2n = 48*.

This species is similar to Phyllostachys flexuosa, but differs in its inconspicuously pruinose culm internodes, its paler (nearly white), sparsely speckled culm sheaths, and its paler, ciliate, yellow-green ligules.

The culms are used for weaving fine bamboo articles.

* Cultivated. Anhui, Fujian, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang.