diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java
index 205116999..48980ad6e 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java
@@ -102,6 +102,8 @@ public void testDescribe() throws Exception {
 			assertEquals("alice-t1-2-g3e563c5", describe(c4, "alice*"));
 			assertEquals("bob-t2-1-g3e563c5", describe(c4, "bob*"));
 			assertEquals("bob-t2-1-g3e563c5", describe(c4, "a*", "b*", "c*"));
+
+			assertEquals("bob-t2", describe(c4, false, true, 0));
 		} else {
 			assertEquals(null, describe(c2));
 			assertEquals(null, describe(c3));
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java
index e572773e4..955d14769 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java
@@ -227,6 +227,9 @@ public DescribeCommand setAbbrev(int abbrev) {
 
 	private String longDescription(Ref tag, int depth, ObjectId tip)
 			throws IOException {
+		if (abbrev == 0) {
+			return formatRefName(tag.getName());
+		}
 		return String.format("%s-%d-g%s", formatRefName(tag.getName()), //$NON-NLS-1$
 				Integer.valueOf(depth),
 				w.getObjectReader().abbreviate(tip, abbrev).name());