Herbs, evergreen, dioecious, perennial, caespitose or with extended rhizomes. Flowering stems of a single internode, arising from the base (culms) or from branching aerial stems, terete or flattened. Leaves distichous, all basal or arising from aerial stems; sheath split to the base; lamina laterally flattened and equitant or almost terete, sometimes with a small ligule at the transition between lamina and sheath. Inflorescence of few or many flowers, sometimes with elongated inflorescence branches. Spathe subtending inflorescence resembling a leaf sheath, usually caducous. Flowers sessile or pedicellate, mostly each with 2 small membranous deltoid bracts; perianth of 6 rigid or scarious-membranous tepals. Male flowers with 3 stamens; filaments free. Female flowers: ovary 3-locular, with 3 stout, densely papillose styles that are very shortly connate. Fruit a 3-locular, loculicidal capsule, sometimes only 1 or 2 loculi developing. Seeds ovoid, white, the surface colliculate with a pattern of angular or deeply lobed cells or striate with longitudinal ridges. Anatomy with sclerenchyma bundle sheaths extending to the epidermis in both culms and leaves.
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