Perennial. Leaf-blades linear, flat or inrolled; ligule a short lacerate membrane. Inflorescence a narrow erect linear panicle composed of short densely clustered or spaced ascending or spreading spikes. Spikelets several-many-flowered, laterally compressed, sessile or subsessile, crowded and secund on the branches, falling entire; glumes unequal, lanceolate, 1-nerved, membranous; lemmas keeled, ovate-acute, muticous, membranous or chartaceous to coriaceous, glabrous, faintly 3-nerved the side-nerves shorter than the lemma; palea 2-keeled, shorter than the lemma. Caryopsis obliquely ovoid, triquetrous in cross-section, pericarp adnate.