Culms basally erect or suberect, to 10 m, to 4 cm in diam., apically long pendulous or clambering; internodes terete, straight, to 60 cm, basally glossy and glabrous, distally white powdery and stiffly white hairy; wall 1–2 mm thick. Branches 50(–100) cm. Culm sheaths tardily deciduous, straw-colored, white powdery and stiffly white hairy abaxially, distal margins with cilia 1–2 cm, base without a projection, apex truncate; auricles inconspicuous; oral setae many, 1–1.8 cm; ligule truncate, short, 1–1.5 mm, margin ciliate; blade reflexed, linear-lanceolate, more than 1/2 or 2/3 length of sheath, abaxially glabrous, apex acuminate. Leaves 6–8 per ultimate branch; sheaths 6–9 cm, often white powdery; auricles inconspicuous; oral setae numerous, 2–3 mm; blade oblong-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 18–30 × 2–3.5 cm. Pseudospikelets fusiform, 2–3.5 cm, glabrous; prophyll ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 4–8 mm, thin, translucent, apex obtuse, keels 2, ciliate; bracts 1 to several, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 7–22 mm, papery, many veined, apex obtuse to acute or mucronate; rachilla disarticulating. Glumes absent; fertile lemma oblong-lanceolate, to 2.4 cm, many veined, apex acute, long mucronate, mucro ca. 3 mm; sterile lemma oblong-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm, mucro short. Palea to 2.7 cm, involute, papery, many veined, apex bifid; lodicules absent. Filaments to 25 mm, bases often connate; anthers initially dull green, pale yellow when mature, 7–9 mm. Pistil purple, 1.8–2.5 cm. Fruit unknown. New shoots Jul–Aug.

The culms are used for making flutes and walling and are split for weaving.

Forests, cultivated near villages. Hainan [Vietnam].