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Tufted or stoloniferous annuals or perennials. Leaf-blades linear, flat or loosely folded; ligule membranous, truncate, often ciliolate. Inflorescence digitate, composed of several linear to narrowly oblong secund spikes which disarticulate at maturity from the top of the culm (very tardily in some species); uppermost spikelets abortive, the spike terminating in a pointed extension of the flattened rhachis. Spikelets several-flowered, elliptic to ovate, laterally compressed, biseriate, closely overlapping, disarticulating above the glumes but not between the florets; glumes 1-nerved, keeled, subequal, shorter than the lemmas, persistent, the lower sharply acute, the upper with a stout spreading awn usually arising just below the broadly rounded emarginate tip; lemmas 3-nerved, with the lateral nerves shorter than the lemmas and obscure, keeled, membranous, glabrous, the tip entire, acute to shortly awned; palea subequalling the lemma, keels sometimes winged. Grain angular, ornamented, enclosed within a free hyaline pericarp which ruptures to release the grain.
Annuals or perennials. Culms tufted, sometimes stoloniferous, compressed. Leaf blades linear, flat or loosely folded; ligule membranous, often ciliolate. Inflorescence of paired or digitate spikelike racemes; racemes linear to narrowly oblong, spikelets sessile, biseriate, closely imbricate, the uppermost abortive, rachis terminating in a bare pointed extension. Spikelets elliptic to ovate, laterally compressed, florets several, disarticulating above glumes but not usually between florets; glumes shorter than lemmas, keeled, 1-veined; lower glume smaller, sharply acute; upper glume with a stout oblique awn from just below the broadly rounded emarginate tip; lemmas membranous, 3-veined, glabrous, strongly keeled, acute to shortly awned and often recurved at the apex; palea keels sometimes winged. Grain angular, ornamented, enclosed within a free hyaline pericarp which ruptures at maturity. x = 9, 10.
Spikelets crowded, divergent, flattened, few-fld, articulated between the glumes; glumes very broad, compressed and keeled, 1-veined, the first awnless, the second with a stout awn just below the rounded tip; lemmas broadly ovate, compressed and keeled, 3-veined, abruptly acuminate to a short awn-like point; grain subglobose, rugose, furrowed on one side; annuals with usually overlapping sheaths, flat blades, and sessile digitate spikes, the uppermost spikelets abortive and the rachis projecting 1–5 mm as a sharp point. 10, warm reg.
Spikelets 3-to 5-flowered, compressed, sessile and closely imbricate in two rows on one side of the rather narrow flat rachis, the rachis extending beyond the spike-lets; rachilla disarticulating above the first glume and between the florets; glumes broad, unequal, 1-nerved, the second mucronate or short-awned below the tip, deciduous; lemmas broad, keeled, 3-nerved, acuminate or short-awned, the lateral nerves indistinct; palea about as long as the lemma; seed subglobose, ridged, en-closed in a thin pericarp.
Spikelets several-flowered, laterally compressed, disarticulating above the glumes but not between the florets; glumes 1-nerved, keeled, membranous, subequal, shorter than the lemmas, persistent, the inferior sharply acute, the superior with a stout spreading awn usually arising from just below the broadly rounded emarginate apex; lemmas 3-nerved, the lateral nerves shorter than the body and obscure, keeled, membranous, glabrous, the apex entire, acute to shortly awned; palea keels sometimes winged.
Inflorescence of digitate racemes; racemes secund, disarticulating at maturity from the top of the culm, the spikelets biseriate, imbricate, subsessile, the uppermost abortive and the raceme terminating in a naked pointed extension of the rhachis.
Caryopsis angular, ornamental, with a free hyaline pericarp which ruptures to release the seed.
