Perennial, caespitose from a short woody rhizome clothed in tomentose sheath remnants. Culms erect, up to 1 m tall, 2–3 mm in diam., 4–5-noded. Basal leaf sheaths tomentose with golden brown hairs, upper leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades firm, involute, up to 60 × 0.5–0.7 cm, glabrous or adaxial surface pilose, apex long acuminate; ligule ca. 2 mm. Panicle 30–45 cm, open, branches to 15 cm, distant, inserted singly, stiffly divaricate, branchlets and pedicels appressed. Spikelets 7–10 mm, florets 3–6, all fertile; glumes 1-veined, ca. 5 mm, or lower glume ca. 4 mm, apex acuminate or subulate; lemmas 5–6 mm, lateral veins ciliate, awn straight, 0.8–2 mm. Callus hairs ca. 2 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug.

Neyraudia montana is distinctive on account of its basal sheaths with brown, velvety hairs and much more open panicle with stiffer branches than in the other species.

* Mountain slopes, roadsides. Anhui, Fujian, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang.