Tufted perennials, eglandular, sometimes glaucous. Culms erect or sprawling, 100–200 cm long, wiry, often pruinose below nodes. Leaves often pilose to hirsute with simple and tubercle-based hairs, scabrous to hispid; sheaths usually overlapping; ligule 0.2–0.5 mm long; blade involute or flat and to 5.5 mm wide, straight. Panicles open, interrupted, 46–85 cm long, to 22 cm wide; branches often drooping, sometimes naked in lower 0.5–4.5 cm. Spikelets pedicellate, linear to lanceolate, 8–50 mm long, 1.4–3 mm wide, often reddish brown; rachilla persistent, flexuose, stout; florets 12–90, closely overlapping. Glumes unequal, linear-lanceolate; lower glume 1.5–2.3 mm long; upper glume 2–3 mm long. Lemma lanceolate or ovate, 2–4 mm long, acuminate, cartilaginous to indurated, 3–5-nerved, often purplish or glaucous; lateral nerves sometimes very short, sometimes paired. Palea usually 2/3–3/4 as long as lemma; body spathulate to obovate, ciliolate at apex; keels entirely or partly scaberulous; flaps distinctly narrower than body. Stamens 3; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm long. Grain trigonous or ovoid, 0.5–0.9 mm long, often white-striate. Pericarp free on moistening.
Growschiefly in sandy loam, often alluvial soils, sometimes associated with granite,sandstone or laterite; on river levees, shallow depressions, margins of swamps,coastal flats and dunes.
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