Avena delavayi Hackel, Oesterr. Bot. Z. 52: 189. 1902.

Perennial. Culms erect, slender, 35–50 cm tall, 2–3-noded. Leaf sheaths tight, shorter than internodes, puberulous near margins, otherwise glabrous; leaf blades narrowly linear, flat or margins involute, stiff, 6–11 cm, 1.5–2 mm wide, abaxial surface of lower blades pubescent, both surfaces scabrid, apex acute; ligule truncate, 1.5–2 mm. Panicle ovate-oblong in outline, 5–10 cm, slightly nodding; branches usually paired, lower ca. 6 cm, scabrid, bearing 2–4 spikelets in distal part. Spikelets 0.8–1 cm, green variegated yellow and purple, florets 3–4; rachilla shortly bearded; lower glume 5.5–7 mm, 1-veined, upper glume 7–8 mm, 3-veined; lemmas firm with scarious apex, lowest 7.5–9 mm, 5-veined, scaberulous, apex 2-toothed, teeth acuminate-mucronate; awn 1.3–1.5 cm, geniculate with twisted column, terete; palea slightly shorter than lemma, keels ciliolate. Anthers 2–2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.

This is a small, narrow-leaved variant from the Helictotrichon junghuhnii complex.

* Montane meadows, forests; 2100–3700 m. Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan.