Japan Flora: Rather weak perennial with short innovation shoots at base; culms 40-80 cm. long; leaf-blades flat, thin, soft, 10-20 cm. long, 3-5 mm. wide, often whitish pubescent; ligules 0.5-1.5 mm. long; panicles nodding, 10-20 cm. long, 2-5 cm. wide, the branches geminate; spikelets 6-8 mm. long, lustrous, yellowish brown or pale green, sometimes somewhat purplish, 2- to 3 flovvered; glumes lanceolate, the first 2-3 mm., the second 5-7 mm. long; lemmas 5-7 mm. long, rigid-chartaceous, very scabrous, with hyaline margins, attenuate at apex into 2 awnlike points, the awn from below the tip, 6-10 mm. long, geniculate, twisted; callus short-bearded; anthers oblong. May-June. Hills and lowlands.
Hokkaido (w. distr,), Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; very common. Korea, China, and Formosa.