Plants perennial, with knotty bases. Culms ascending to 1 m, rigid, decumbent; nodes densely bearded. Leaves: sheaths puberlous with tubercle-based hairs, one margin ciliate; ligules about 2 mm long, ciliate; blades 8-15 cm long, 1.8-2.5 cm wide, pubescent, lanceolate, bases cordate-amplexicaul, margins scabrous, pectinate-ciliate at least at midlength, tips acuminate. Inflorescence axes 6-13 cm long; branches 6-12, 2-5 cm long, ascending. Spikelets usually paired, setose, particularly on the pedicels, 4-5 mm long, densely pubescent, ovate lanceolate, subacute; lower glumes about 1/5 the length of the spiklets, ovate-triangular, acute; upper glumes (5-)7-9-veined; lower florets:lemmas slightly shorter than the upper glumes, staminate or sterile, 5-7-veined; paleas well-developed, keels very narrowly winged distally; upper lemmas broadly elliptic, coriaceous, rugulose, mucronate, mucros about 0.1 mm long.