Compactly tufted perennials, often pruinose or glaucous. Culms (30–) 60–120 cm high. Leaves mostly glabrous and smooth; sheaths overlapping or not; ligule c. 0.3 mm long; blade loosely convolute or folded or flat, straight, to 5 mm wide. Panicles terminal, sometimes also axillary. Terminal panicles contracted or open, sparse, 25–37 cm long, 2–12 cm wide; branches spreading to almost divaricate, sometimes divided; primary branches naked in lower quarter. Spikelets sessile, strongly laterally compressed, linear-oblong or lanceolate, 18–35 mm long, 2.5–5 mm wide, sometimes cleistogamous; rachilla flexuose; florets 18–63, closely overlapping. Glumes unequal, lanceolate, cartilaginous or membranous; lower glume 1.5–2.5 mm long; upper glume 2–3 mm long. Lemma lanceolate, 2.6–3.4 mm long, acuminate, cartilaginous or membranous, 3-nerved. Palea c. half as long as lemma; body oblong; keels thick or narrowly winged, unevenly scaberulous. Stamens 3; anthers 0.2–0.3 mm long. Grain not compressed, globose or nearly so, 0.5–0.8 mm long, reticulate or white-striate. Pericarp free when wet.
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