Climbing rhizomatous woody bamboo with thorns. Culms to 8m arching & climbing on trees, pubescent when young, glabrous at maturity. Deciduous culm leaves to 355mm x 140mm, strigose culm leaf sheaths to 280mm long. Foliage leaves to 180mm x42mm, glabrous above & sparsely hairy beneath. Terminal inflorescence with subtending bracts. Pseudo-spikelets to 80mm x 6mm, 1-3 sterile lemmas to 11mm x 6mm, 3-5 fertile florets with lemma to 15mm x 9mm.