Perennial. Culms tufted, stout, ca. 1.5 m tall, 0.7 mm or more in diam., loosely hirsute especially below nodes. Leaf sheaths glabrous or hirsute along margins, hirsute on back near blade; leaf blades 40–80 × 0.4–0.6 cm, abaxial surface hirsute, contracted at base, acuminate; ligule ca. 1.5 mm, margin lacerate. Compound panicle open, branches pilose, spathes hirsute at least on margins, each subtending a further spathe and up to 3 spatheoles with racemes; spatholes 2.5–3 cm, glabrous; peduncle villous at apex. Raceme composed of 1 spikelet pair and a terminal triad above the involucre of 2 homogamous pairs. Homogamous spikelets arising at slightly different levels, one pair subsessile, barren, the other pair staminate, 12–15 mm, narrowly lanceolate, minutely puberulous. Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed, 7–7.5 mm; callus ca. 2 mm, acute; lower glume oblong-lanceolate, slightly flattened, densely brown strigose; upper lemma stipitiform; awn 2–4.5 cm. Pedicelled spikelet 12–15 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Dec.

This species is very close to Themeda caudata, but has hairs on the leaves and culms, and shorter, more slender awns.

* Dry mountain slopes. Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan.