Rhizome neck 2.5–4 cm. Culms 3–5 m, 1–2.5 cm in diam.; internodes terete, 28–35 cm, initially distally gray setose, glabrescent; wall 2–3 mm thick, pith initially spongy, becoming granular; supra-nodal ridges weakly prominent; sheath scar prominent. Branches 5–11 per node. Culm sheaths persistent, red-brown, narrowly rounded or triangularly narrowly rounded, shorter than internodes, leathery, brown setose, margins glabrous or apically very sparsely gray ciliate, apex triangular; auricles and oral setae absent; ligule purple-brown, truncate or convex, 1–1.5 mm, margins initially densely yellow-brown ciliate, cilia 2–4 mm; blade reflexed, linear-lanceolate, initially gray ciliolate, margins rolled, articulate with sheath. Leaves 3–10 per ultimate branch; sheath red-brown when dry, glabrous; auricles absent; oral setae initially present; ligule truncate, ca. 1 mm, glabrous; blade linear-lanceolate, 9–19 × 0.7–1.7 cm, thin, abaxially white-gray pubescent, secondary veins 3- or 4-paired, transverse veins obscure, base cuneate, margins spinescent-serrulate, apex long acuminate. Inflorescence unknown. New shoots Aug–Sep.

The shoots are edible.

* 1200–2500 m. S Yunnan.