Perennial, sometimes shortly rhizomatous. Culm up to 1 m tall, erect, glaucous, with prominent redbrown to blackish nodes. Sheath striate; auricles short; collar long hairy at margin, densely hairy elsewhere; ligule narrow, sometimes asymmetrical. Lamina glaucous, flat or rolled, up to 3 mm wide, densely short hairy below becoming glabrous above. Spike stiff, with up to 7 broad spikelets widely diverging from rhachis. Spikelets 6-9, occasionally up to 12-flowered. Glumes unequal, up to 8 mm long. Lemma about as long as palea; scabrous awn somewhat recurved, 25-60 mm long. Palea 10-13 m long. Anthers purple, or yellow and purple flecked, 5-9 mm long. Lodicules hairy, 2-2.5 mm long. 2n = 42. Anthesis takes place after complete emergence of the inflorescence.

Gramen erectum, glaucum, E. rectiseto simile differt autem atrorubris vel nigris culmorum nodis, spiculis divaricatissimis, et spicis ante anthesem oranino elongatis.