A densely tufted perennial. Culms erect, 4–6 ft. high, stout, terete, simple, 2–3-noded, glabrous and smooth. Leaf-sheaths firm, striate, very shortly pubescent or glabrous at the nodes, the lower silky-villous at the base, glabrous, or loosely to densely pilose upwards with tubercle-based hairs, the upper glabrous or nearly so, shorter than the internodes; ligule a densely ciliate rim; blade linear, narrowed at the base, long-tapering to a fine point, up to 2 ft. long and 5 1/2 lin. wide, flat, firm, glabrous, or pilose near the ligule, scaberulous. Panicle loose, up to 10 in. long, bearing up to 26 triads of spikelets; rhachis smooth below, scaberulous upwards, shortly villous and with short broad bracts at the lowest node; branches up to 14 at the lowest node, filiform, scabrid, flexuous, simple or bearing 2 triads, up to 4 in. long; pedicels 0. Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 10–16 lin. long. Glumes 3-nerved; lower narrowly lanceolate, acutely acuminate, 9–12 lin. long, coriaceous except for the thin fragile tip, with a submarginal row of spreading white bristles from dark brown tubercles along each side except towards the tip, yellowish or purplish; upper linear-lanceolate, subulate-acuminate, as long as the spikelet, glabrous or very minutely pubescent downwards, chartaceous. Lower floret ♂: valve narrowly lanceolate, acutely or setaceously acuminate, 9–12 lin. long, 5–7-nerved upwards; valvule lanceolate-linear, obtuse, 7–7 1/2 lin. long, keels minutely ciliolate upwards. Upper floret linear: callus pungent, 1–1 1/4 lin. long; valve 3 1/2 lin. long, 2-lobed, with the lobes tapering into capillary asperulous bristles up to 10 lin. long, coriaceous, 7-nerved, minutely pubescent; awn 1 1/4–2 in. long; column yellowish, scaberulous, 5–6 lin. long; valvule linear, 3 1/2–4 lin. long. Anthers 3, 3 lin. long. Ovary hairy at the top.