Culms 6–7 m, to 6 cm in diam., basally slightly flexuose, apically drooping; internodes glabrous; wall slightly thick; lower nodes usually with a ring of gray-white silky hairs above sheath scar; branching to base. Culm sheaths rather tardily deciduous, glabrous, apex slightly asymmetrical, broadly arched; auricles unequal, strongly wrinkled; larger auricle ovate-elliptic, ca. 3 × 1.5 cm, smaller auricle elliptic, ca. 2 × 1 cm; oral setae undulate; ligule ca. 6 mm, dentate with ca. 2 mm fimbriae; blade erect, narrowly ovate to ovate-triangular, base nearly 1/2 as wide as sheath apex. Leaf blade linear-lanceolate, 5–10 × 0.7–0.9 cm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous. Inflorescence unknown.

Bambusa macrotis is similar to B. rutila, but has glabrous culm internodes and culm sheaths, a slightly asymmetrical, broadly arched culm sheath apex, and narrower leaf blades.

* Riversides. Guangdong (Qingyuan).