Annual or perennial. Culms robust. Leaf blades linear, flat; ligule membranous. Inflorescence of many single racemes aggregated into a spathate compound panicle; racemes cylindrical, fragile, transversely or slightly obliquely articulated, spikelets borne alternately on opposite sides of rachis; rachis internodes stout, semi-cylindrical, base with central peg, apex hollow. Sessile spikelet sunk into hollow in rachis; lower glume oblong, leathery, broadly convex, smooth, areolate or latticelike; marginally 2-keeled, with or without narrow wings toward apex; lower floret male with a palea; upper floret hyaline with entire awnless lemma. Pedicelled spikelet absent; pedicel linear, adnate to adjacent internode, sometimes barely distinguishable from it.
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