Perennial. Culms slender, erect, up to 1 m tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades 15–30× 0.3–0.5 cm, glabrous, margins scabrid, acuminate; ligule lacerate. Compound panicle loose, each branch bearing a few spathes subtending 1 or more spatheoles; spatheoles 3–6 cm, glabrous; peduncles glabrous. Raceme composed of 1 spikelet pair and a terminal triad above the involucre of 2 homogamous pairs. Homogamous spikelets arising at different levels, staminate, ca. 15 mm, lanceolate, villous with white long soft tubercle-based hairs, acuminate. Sessile spikelet ca. 7 mm, pallid; callus ca. 2.5 mm, narrowly cuneate; lower glume subleathery, densely pubescent with yellowish white soft hairs, back with shallow median groove; awn 3–6 cm. Pedicelled spikelet ca. 15 mm, villous. Fl. and fr. Sep–Nov.

Themeda yunnanensis resembles the Indian species T. mooneyi Bor in its slender habit and softly white-hairy homogamous spikelets, but the latter species has glabrous sessile spikelets (except for short prickles at the apex) and glabrous pedicelled spikelets.

* Dry mountain slopes; 600–1900 m. Yunnan.