Loosely tufted perennial; culms up to 70 cm high. Leaf-blades up to 20 cm long, 3-4mm wide, hairy above, scabrid beneath; sheaths glabrous or the lowest hairy when young. Panicle 10-20 cm long, very loose, the branches long and flexuous, usually each with a single spikelet. Spikelets lanceolate, 5-9-flowered, 18-25 mm long excluding the awns, the lemmas overlapping at first, later gaping and partially exposing the internodes; glumes pubescent, the lower lanceolate, acuminate, 12-1.5 mm long, 1-nerved, the upper lanceolate, shortly awned, 14-17 mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas narrowly lanceolate in side view, the lower 11-16 mm long, densely pubescent all over, 7-nerved, shortly 2-toothed, awned from between the teeth; awn stout, scabrid, 12-18 mm long, erect or recurved; palea shorter than the lemma, ciliolate on the back and keels; anthers 1.5-2 mm long.

Type locality: India.

Distribution: Pakistan (N.W.F.P.); Himalayas eastwards to Nepal and Sikkim; Kumoan.

Bromus porphyranthos differs from Bromus himalaicus Stapf by its longer glumes, densely hairy spikelets and simple panicle. Only one specimen is known from the Pakistan area but no doubt the species will eventually be found in Kashmir.