Perennial. Culms tufted slender, erect, 10–50 cm tall, unbranched. Leaf sheaths laxly overlapping, glabrous or loosely ciliate at mouth; leaf blades narrowly linear and flat near ligule becoming involute toward apex, or acicular throughout, 3–12 cm × 0.5–2 mm, adaxial surface puberulous, abaxial surface glabrous; ligule very shortly hairy or obscure. Panicle laxly contracted to open, 4–12 × 0.5–1(–3) cm; branches verticillate or paired, 0.7–2 cm, suberect to spreading, spiculate to base; pedicels short, smooth or scabridulous. Spikelets glistening, thinly membranous, pale purplish, lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm; glumes slightly unequal; lower glume lanceolate, 2/3–3/4 spikelet length, veinless, apex acute or obtuse; upper glume ovate, as long as spikelet, 1-veined, acute; lemma ovate, as long as spikelet, 1-veined, acute; palea subequaling lemma. Anthers 3, 0.8–1 mm. Grain red-brown, elliptic-oblong, laterally compressed, ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. Mar–May.

Grassy hillsides, dry places on poor soil. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Jiangsu, Taiwan [Japan (Ryukyu Islands)].