Stoloniferous sward-forming perennial with slender underground rhizomes. Culms slender, up to 40 cm high. Leaf-blades often short and narrow, 2-12 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, glaucous, scaberulous, with or without scattered hairs, auricles and orifices bearded; ligule a short ciliolate rim about 0.3 mm long. Racemes usually 4-6, 2-7 cm long in a single whorl. Spikelets 2-2.5 (-3) mm long; glumes lanceolate, 1-nerved; lemma silky-pubescent on the keel with simple hairs, lateral nerves often glabrous; palea glabrous, scaberulous on the keels; anthers more than 1 mm long; caryopsis usually turgid or scarcely laterally compressed.