Hermaphroditic. tufted, rhizomatous, tufts sparse, or dense to loose, shoots clustered, or some solitary, green, or bluish-gray-green; tillers intra- and extravaginal. Culms 8--100 cm tall. Leaves; leaf sheaths basal most sheaths, bulb absent, ligules of lower culm and tiller leaves commonly glabrous abaxially; Blades of cauline leaves flag-leaf blades flat or folded, thin, soft, sterile shoot blades 10--45 cm long, 0.4--4 mm wide, some distinctly narrower than the cauline blades. all flat or some involute, usually glabrous adaxially. Panicles 5--18 cm long, loosely contracted or open and broadly pyramidal; axis with 3--6(--9) branches per node; primary branches spreading to somewhat reflexed, smooth or sparsely to fairly densely scabrous; spikelets several to many per branch. Spikelets lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, not bulbiferous; glumes unequal to subequal, infrequently glaucous; lower glumes 1--3-veined; upper glumes shorter than or nearly subequaling the lowest lemma; lemmas 2.8--4.3 mm long, finely muriculate, intermediate veins glabrous; paleas scabrous, medially glabrous over the keels, intercostal region glabrous. anthers sometimes sterile; caryopses 1.5--2 mm long, brown. see species. Genotype: Ph