Culms from a thick stoloniferous rhizome, erect, 10-20 cm across; culm sheaths broadly triangular, densely brownish-hairy within, and scattered hairy without. Leaves 20 cm long; sheaths 12 x .2 cm, linear, glabrous; ligule short, entire; petiole short. Inflorescence a compound panicle with the spikelets in heads. Spikelets 1-many-flowered, 0.8-2 cm long, oblong, terete. Bracts glume-like. Glumes 1-3, to 5.5 mm, broadly ovate, mucronate. Lemmas to 6.5 mm, lanceolate, mucronate, coriaceous, glabrous. Paleas to 7 mm, 2-keeled, ciliate. Stamens 6. Style 1; stigmas 3. Caryopsis linearly cylindric (India Biodiversity Portal).
Religious Association
The tree is sacred to Shiva and Vishnu. According to Stutley (1985), it is an emblem of Venugopala, Krishna and Rajagopala. The bamboo tree has been depicted in the bas-reliefs of the stupas and in some Buddhist sculptures (Birdwood, 1979). The tree has also been associated with the subject of astrology under the constellation Punarpusam.