Shortly rhizomatous perennials, glabrous or scabrous. Leaves without obvious transverse veins; ligule an unfringed membrane; blade once-folded in bud. Inflorescence a loose or narrow panicle. Spikelets slightly laterally compressed, usually disarticulating below glumes, with 1–several proximal bisexual florets; rachilla extension with 1–3 sterile (often rudimentary) florets. Glumes about as long as or slightly longer than fertile lemmas, awnless or shortly awned, dorsally rounded, 5-nerved (in Australia); lower glume slightly shorter than upper glume. Callus short. Bisexual florets: lemma acute, awnless, dorsally rounded, 7–9-nerved; palea subequal to but thinner than lemma, slightly obtuse; stamens 3; ovary glabrous. Caryopsis free from both lemma and palea, longitudinally grooved; hilum long-linear; embryo small.
Spikelets 2–5-fld, disarticulating above or below the glumes; glumes large, membranous, 3–5-veined; lemmas rounded on the back, 5–7-veined, or with additional veins near the base, obtuse or acute, awned or awnless; uppermost 1–4 lemmas much smaller, sterile and often distinctly unlike the fertile ones; slender, tufted to rhizomatous grasses with closed sheaths, flat lvs, conspicuous ligules, and sparsely branched, few-fld panicles. 50+, mostly temp. regions.