Perennial. Culms decumbent at base, rooting and branching at lower nodes, ascending to 45–85 cm tall, nodes glabrous, indistinctly glandular. Leaf sheaths shorter than internodes, glabrous except for stiffly ciliate outer margin; leaf blades lanceolate, 8–14 × 0.8–1.8 cm, abaxial surface scabrid-pubescent with short stiff papillose-based hairs, adaxial surface scaberulous, base rounded, apex acuminate; ligule ca. 2 mm. Panicle very open, 17–25 cm; primary branches inserted singly, divaricate, spikelets scattered; branches slender, flexuose, scaberulous, with elongate glandular patches; pedicels shorter than spikelets (except where terminating branchlets), shortest ca. 0.5 mm. Spikelets elliptic or obovate, ca. 2 mm, green or purplish green; glumes ovate, slightly shorter than florets at maturity, 7–9-veined, short stiff papillose-based hairs toward apex on lower glume and over most of back on upper glume, apex obtuse; florets similar, pilose, upper slightly shorter. Fl. and fr. Sep–Nov.

The leaf blades are obviously rough when stroked with a finger, but the sheaths are smooth (unlike Isachne scabrosa). The panicle branches are also rough, except along the elongate glandular patches, and the spikelets are borne on very short pedicels.

* Moist valleys, hillside forests. Guangdong, Hunan, Zhejiang.