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Annuals or perennials, rhizomatous or stoloniferous or caespitose or decumbent, bisexual. Leaves: ligule an unfringed membrane; blade rolled in bud. Inflorescences paniculate, spikelike, contracted. Spikelets strongly laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes, with 1 bisexual floret; rachilla prolonged beyond floret or terminated by it. Glumes 2, ±equal, shortly awned or mucronate, strongly keeled, 3-nerved, with row of coarse erect bristles along keel. Callus short. Lemma awnless, less firm than glumes, membranous, dorsally rounded or keeled, 5–7-nerved. Palea relatively long, dorsally rounded or keeled. Lodicules toothed, membranous. Stamens 3. Caryopsis: hilum short; endosperm liquid at maturity.
Spikelets 1-fld, strongly flattened, articulated above the glumes; glumes equal, compressed and keeled, stoutly 3-veined, truncate or rounded to acuminate, with thin or scarious margins; lemma much shorter than the glumes, thin and delicate, broad, 3–5-veined, obtuse or truncate, awnless; palea narrow, to nearly as long as the lemma; mostly tufted grasses with membranous, often elongate ligule, flat lvs, and very dense, cylindric to ellipsoid, spike-like panicles; our spp. perennials with awned glumes. 10, temp. and cool regions.
