Culms to 14 m, to 10 cm in diam.; internodes initially light green, gray-green in age, 30–50 cm, initially sparsely pilose, soon glabrous; cavity pith spongy or lamellate; nodes weakly prominent. Culm sheaths initially green, light brown when dried, unspotted, striate, narrowly elongated, setose, margins ciliate; auricles absent, oral setae 2–4, erect, 7–15 mm; ligule prominent, 2–5 mm high, ciliate; blade pale purple-red, lanceolate, scabrid. Leaves 3–6 per ultimate branch; sheath glabrous, margins sometimes ciliate; auricles usually absent; oral setae scarce, readily deciduous, erect; blade linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 11–28 × 1.5–5 cm, sparsely setose, secondary veins 3–7-paired, margins scabrid, serrulate. Inflorescence unknown. New shoots Apr.

The shoots are sweet.

Under evergreen trees. S Guangxi [N Vietnam].