Caespitose perennial with creeping rhizome; culms up to 75 cm high. Leaf-blades up to 20 cm long, 1.5-2(-2.5) mm wide, flat, dark green or somewhat glaucous, hispid at least on the nerves below; sheaths pubescent to hispid, conspicuously auricled at the mouth. Panicle 11-18 cm long, simple, the branches 1 or 2 at a node each with 1 spikelet. Spikelets narrowly oblong, laxly 7-9-flowered, 20-30 mm long, glabrous; lower glume very narrowly lanceolate, 6.5-9 mm long, 1-nerved; upper glume narrowly lanceolate, 7.5-10 mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas lanceolate, the lower 10-12(-14) mm long, 5-nerved, glabrous, minutely 2-toothed at the tip with an awn 2.5-3(-3.5) mm long; palea shorter than the lemma, shortly ciliolate on the keels; anthers 4-5 mm long.

Syntypes: Afghanistan, Aitchison 814(K), 1254(K), 1255(G,K).

Distribution: Pakistan (N.W.F.P. & Gilgit); Iran and Afghanistan.

Bromus stenostachyus is similar to Bromus confines but has glabrous spikelets. Bromus tomentosus is also similar but has a much shorter and very much denser indumentum on the stems as well as on the leaves and sheaths.

The conspicuous auricles in Bromus stenostachyus are deciduous and are not necessarily diagnostic of the species as presumed by Bor in his key to Bromus in Fl. Iran.