Neomicrocalamus prainii (Gamble) Keng fil.

Culms scrambling, 6–20 m, 5–25 mm in diam.; nodes level; internodes 20–50 cm, solid or nearly so on smaller culms, glabrous. Dominant branches equal in size to culm. Culm sheaths retrorsely brown scabrous, distally purple-brown spotted, lower portion very tough, upper papery and thin, margins glabrous; ligule inconspicuous, auricles and oral setae absent; blade persistent, erect, acicular, short, to ca. 1 cm. Leaf sheaths 2–4 cm, glabrous or slightly pubescent; ligule 1–1.5 mm; auricles and oral setae absent; blade lanceolate, 4–12 × 0.5–2 cm, apex softly acicular. Spikelets 3–6-flowered, 2–3.5 cm; prophylls to 0.5 cm. Lemma 5–7 mm; palea equal to lemma, obtuse; lodicules 1.5–2 mm. Anthers purple, 3–4 mm. Ovary oblong, upper portion pubescent; style short; stigma plumose. Caryopsis falcate, 4–5 mm, glabrous. Fl. Apr–Jun.

S Xizang, W Yunnan [India (Meghalaya), Myanmar].

Mountain forests, river banks, rocks; 1200–2600 m.

Arundinaria prainii Gamble, Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 7: 21. 1896; Racemobambos prainii (Gamble) P. C. Keng & T. H. Wen; Thamnocalamus prainii (Gamble) E. G. Camus.