Spikelets 2-flowered, strongly laterally compressed, sessile, in 1 row on a tough axis, disarticulating above the glumes; glumes subequal, membranous, keeled, enclosing the florets, acute to acuminate at the apex, the superior deciduous, sometimes with a short awn; fertile lemma coriaceous, keeled, mucronate or with a short subapical awn; distal floret well developed but male or sterile and smaller than the fertile.
Inflorescence of 1–many digitate 1-sided racemes bearing imbricate spikelets on a flat rhachis.
Caryopsis ellipsoid, trigonous.