Culms 5–7 m, 3–4.5 cm in diam.; internodes initially deep green, becoming gray-green or pale orange with irregular blotches and stripes at maturity, 17–20 cm, not white powdery; wall ca. 5 mm thick; nodes initially purple, nodal ridge more prominent than or equaling sheath scar; sheath scar brown hairy on margin. Culm sheaths pale yellow-green, with purple veins and variably sized brown spots, not white powdery, densely retrorsely strigose, margins ciliolate; auricles absent on lower culm sheaths, small and green on middle and upper culm sheaths; oral setae sometimes weakly developed on lower culm sheaths, long on middle and upper sheaths; ligule truncate to arcuate, short, with green to purple cilia to 5 mm; blade reflexed, green-purple with purple-cream margins, linear-lanceolate, crinkled. Leaves 2 or 3 per ultimate branch; sheath pubescent; auricles suborbicular; oral setae erect, long; ligule convex, white ciliate; petiole densely pubescent; blade 7.8–12 × 1.8–2 cm, abaxially densely pubescent, especially proximally. Inflorescence not known. New shoots Apr.

This species is planted for its delicious shoots. The culms are commonly used for tool handles.

* Cultivated. Zhejiang.