Culms solitary or tufted, 18–100 cm tall, 2–5-noded, smooth, glabrous, but densely puberulent below spike. Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous but margin ciliate when young; ligule 1–1.5 mm, membranous, apex truncate; leaf blade flat or rolled, 8–30 × 0.4–0.7 cm, abaxial surface scabrous or smooth, adaxial surface scabrous or pubescent, or both surfaces densely pubescent. Spike erect, grayish green, brown, or brownish, (6–)10–15(–24) × 0.1–1.7 cm; rachis pubescent; internodes 3–7(–20) mm. Spikelets (1 or)2 or 3(or 4) per node, 1–2.2 cm, with 2–7 (–10) florets; rachilla pubescent; internodes 1–1.5 mm. Glumes not covering base of first lemma, narrowly lanceolate to nearly subulate, shorter than spikelet, obscurely 1–3-veined, scabrous, apex mucronate to acuminate. Lemma lanceolate, 5-veined, pubescent, or glabrous above middle, margin membranous, apex acuminate or with awn 1–3 mm; first lemma 8–10(–14) mm; callus villous. Palea shorter than or equaling lemma, apex slightly bifid. Anthers 2–4 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Oct.

This species is used for forage.

Mountain slopes, stony and aleurite slopes, grassy places, lake banks, alkaline swales and pebbles; 2900–4200 m. Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [India, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan].