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Spikelets ovate, elliptic, obovate, or orbicular, planoconvex, short-pediceled or subsessile, solitary or in pairs, forming a 2-rowed or 4-rowed, usually spike-like raceme on one side of a flattened or triquetrous rachis; first glume usually none, very short when present; second glume and sterile lemma of about equal length, 2–7-veined, acute to rounded; fertile lemma indurate, smooth or minutely papillose, its margins inrolled over the indurate palea; ours perennial (except P. boscianum), usually tufted or branched from the base, with usually soft lvs, membranous ligule, and a terminal infl of 1–many racemes along a common axis, often with additional racemes on axillary peduncles from the upper sheaths. 250, mainly trop. and warm-temp.
Perennials or annuals. Culms tufted, or with creeping rhizomes and stolons. Leaf blades linear or narrowly lanceolate, flat; ligule membranous. Inflorescence composed of single, digitate or scattered racemes; rachis flat, often winged; spikelets single or paired, pedicellate in 2–4 rows, densely crowded, lower lemma abaxial. Spikelets orbicular, ovate or elliptic plano-convex; lower glume absent or rarely present as a small scale; upper glume as long as spikelet or nearly so, rarely absent, convex, membranous to subpapery, 3–7-veined; lower lemma resembling upper glume, flat, neuter without palea; upper lemma usually coriaceous to crustaceous, rarely softer, margins inrolled, apex obtuse to apiculate. x = 10.
Spikelets plano-convex, solitary or in pairs, arranged in two rows on one side of a narrow wingless to broadly winged rachis, the back of the fruit turned toward the rachis; first glume wanting or present on some, occasionally on all of the spikelets; second glume and sterile lemma equal, covering the fruit, or the glume a little shorter, rarely wanting; fruit indurate, usually pale, sometimes dark brown, smooth and shining or minutely striate, the margins of the lemma inrolled, en-closing the palea.
Inflorescence of single, paired, digitate or scattered racemes, the spikelets single and abaxial or paired, on a flat rhachis.
Superior lemma coriaceous to crustaceous, smooth or finely striate, usually obtuse.
Inferior glume absent, or rarely represented by a tiny scale.
Spikelets plano-convex, orbicular to ovate.
Inferior lemma awnless.
