Long-rhizomatous, thicket-forming perennial; culms erect, to 3 m high, 5–15 mm diam.; culm-internodes terete with relatively narrow central hollow. Culm-leaves with sheaths persistent, conspicuously mottled, minutely hairy toward base, blades of culm-leaves not developed. Branch leaves usually 3–7 per branch; sheaths minutely fringed near apex; blades linear-lanceolate, 8–17 cm long, c. 10 mm wide with evident cross-veins, attachment to sheath thickened, petiole-like, usually with a few bristles to c. 5 mm long on either side; ligule firmly membranous, minutely cilate, c. 0.5 mm long, a short dorsal collar ('external ligule') usually detectable. Spikelets sessile, 4–7-flowered, 20–40 mm long; glumes 6–8 mm long, 5-nerved; lemma 6–7 mm long, 5–7-nerved; palea equal to lemma.
HSF. Established in wet forest in the Dandenong Ranges near Belgrave, presumably from discarded garden waste. Native to eastern Asia.
Not known to flower in Victoria (at least in the wild). Description of flowering features from literature (Clayton et al. 2006 onwards).
