Robust, light green, rather coarse-leaved perennial tufts, 60-200 cm, with spreading culms and heavy panicles. Leaf-sheath softly villous with long, silvery hairs. Ligule 1.5-2.5 mm, denticulate, abaxially glabrous. Leaf-blade 16-40 cm × 5-11 mm, with few, scattered, fine hairs; margins minutely scabrid, tip fine, acute. Culm ascending to ± erect, internodes glabrous. Panicle 8-30 cm, with stiffly erect to later spreading, finely scabrid branches. Spikelets 2.5-4 cm, 7-8-flowered, light green. Glumes unequal, acute; lower 7.5-10 mm, 5-7-nerved, very shortly appressed-pubescent, upper 11-12 mm, 7-9-nerved, usually more glabrous but finely scabrid on keel. Lemma 11.5-14.5 mm, 9-13-nerved, keeled, usually appressed scabrid-pubescent in upper ½, more glabrous and sometimes purple-suffused below; awn 3.5-9 mm. Palea very slightly < lemma. Callus with minute hairs. Rachilla scabrid. Anthers c. 0.5 mm in cleistogamous flowers. Caryopsis c. 9.5 × 2 mm.