Perennial. Culms erect or geniculate at base, 1–2.5 m tall, 4–10 mm in diam., farinaceous near nodes when young. Leaf sheaths loosely hispid with tubercle-based hairs; leaf blades 30–60 × 0.4–1 cm, glabrous or adaxial surface with tubercle-based setae near base; ligule 2–7 mm. Compound panicle elongate, 3–4-noded, 1–3 solitary spathate racemes arising directly from nodes; spatheoles 4–9 cm, glabrous; peduncle 4–7 cm, glabrous. Raceme composed of 3–5 spikelet pairs and a terminal triad above the involucre of 2 homogamous pairs. Homogamous spikelets arising at slightly different levels, staminate, 25–40 cm, lanceolate, margins with stiff white tubercle-based hairs, acuminate. Sessile spikelet 7–10 mm; callus ca. 2.5 mm, acute; lower glume elliptic-oblong, densely strigose with brown hairs, awn 2–4 cm. Pedicelled spikelet ca. 20 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Oct.

* Hill slopes, roadsides; 200–1000 m. Anhui, Zhejiang.