Culms solitary or tufted, 45–90 cm tall, 3- or 4-noded, smooth, glabrous. Leaf sheath dull yellow at base, smooth, glabrous; ligule ca. 0.5 mm; leaf blade flat or rolled, 10–30 × 0.4–0.7 cm, abaxial surface smooth, adaxial surface scabrous. Spike erect, 6–18 × 0.3–1.3 cm; rachis slender, puberulent or basally smooth, margin ciliate; internodes 3–6 mm. Spikelets 2 or 3 per node, 0.8–1.3 cm, with 3–5 florets, viviparous or not; rachilla ca. 1.5 mm, densely pubescent. Glumes not covering base of first lemma, subulate, 6–12 mm, equaling spikelet, slightly hirsutulous. Lemma lanceolate, obscurely 3–5-veined, puberulent, apex mucronate or acuminate; first lemma 6–10 mm. Palea equaling or slightly longer than lemma. Anthers ca. 0.3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul.

Forest understories, grassy places, river banks; ca. 2900 m. Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe].