Annual. Culms tufted, erect or decumbent, 20–70 cm tall, 3–4-noded, scabrid below inflorescence. Leaf blades flat, 6–15 cm × 2–8 mm, adaxial surface scabrid; auricles up to 2 mm or absent; ligule 0.5–2 mm. Raceme straight, 10–20 cm; rachis scabrid, 0.4–1.5 mm thick, spikelets about their own length apart. Spikelets 1–2 cm, florets 5–9; rachilla internodes ca. 0.5 mm, slightly spinescent; glume narrowly lanceolate, 2/3 as long to subequaling spikelet, 5-veined, apex obtuse or acute; lemmas lanceolate, 6.5–11 mm, 5-veined, apex attenuate into awn; awn 5–20 mm, slightly curved; palea equal to or slightly shorter than lemma, ciliate along keels. Caryopsis length 3.5–5 times width. Fl. and fr. Jun–Jul. 2n = 14.

Streamsides, roadsides, mountain slopes; 1400–2300 m. Gansu, Hebei, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].