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Annuals or perennials, mostly caespitose, sometimes rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous. Plants bisexual (in Australia). Culms erect, geniculate, decumbent or scandent. Leaves: sheaths free to base (mostly) or with margins variously fused; ligule membranous, unfringed or fringed; blade once-folded in bud, flat, folded or variously inrolled at maturity. Inflorescences paniculate, rarely contracted and spike-like. Spikelets usually pedicellate, usually distinctly laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and between florets, with (1–) 2–13 (–15) bisexual florets or upper florets sometimes sterile; rachilla prolonged beyond uppermost bisexual floret, glabrous (in Australia). Glumes 2, subequal or rarely distinctly unequal, shorter than or upper one subequal to adjacent lemma, awnless, keeled; lower glume 1 or 3 (rarely 5)-nerved; upper glume mostly 3 (rarely 1 or 5)-nerved. Callus short, often with cobweb-like hairs (the ‘web’). Lemma usually entire, sometimes emarginate, very rarely tridenticulate, subacute, obtuse or truncate, awnless (rarely mucronate), thinner-textured than glumes or (in the lower part) similar in texture, keeled, mostly 5-nerved or rarely 3 or to 11-nerved, usually hairy to some degree, rarely glabrous. Palea usually tightly clasped by lemma, textured like lemma. Lodicules membranous, glabrous or occasionally ciliolate. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous. Caryopsis free from both lemma and palea, fusiform; hilum short; embryo small, not waisted; endosperm hard.
Perennials, rhizomatous or caespitose, bisexual. Leaves: sheath margins free or connate; ligule an unfringed membrane; blade rolled or once-folded in bud. Inflorescences paniculate, with branches and spikelets arranged all around axis. Spikelets pedicellate, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and between florets, with 3–5 bisexual florets; rachilla hairy, the extension sometimes with 1–few incomplete florets. Glumes 2, equal or the upper longer, shorter than or subequal to adjacent lemma, awnless, keeled; lower glume 1 or 3 or 5-nerved; upper glume 3 or 5-nerved. Callus short, truncate, pubescent. Lemmas oblong to lanceolate, truncate or emarginate to acute, awnless or shortly awned, keeled, (3–) 5 or 7 (–11)-nerved. Palea notched, without apical setae, awnless, textured like lemma, 2-keeled. Lodicules membranous, usually ciliate. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous. Caryopsis dorsiventrally compressed, longitudinally grooved ventrally; hilum short, usually oval or rarely punctiform; embryo small; endosperm hard.
Spikelets 2–several-fld, ± compressed laterally, disarticulating above the glumes and between the lemmas; glumes lanceolate to ovate, acute or subacute, 3-veined or the first 1-veined; lemma in most spp. keeled, often scarious at the margins and tip, generally 5-veined (but the intermediate veins obscure or obsolete in some spp.), often with a tuft of long, cobwebby hairs (called a web) at the base; uppermost florets reduced, unisexual or vestigial; rachilla in a few spp. finely puberulent or scaberulous, otherwise glabrous; lvs ending in a boat-shaped tip; panicles open or contracted, the branches generally in fascicles of 2–5, sometimes more. 150+, widespread, mostly temp. and boreal. Many of the spp. confluent through polyploid (often apomictic) forms.
Annuals or perennials. Leaf-blades usually flat, often with a blunt or hooded tip. Inflorescence an open or contracted panicle. Spikelets 2–several-flowered, laterally compressed; glumes slightly unequal, 1–3-nerved, keeled, usually glabrous; lemmas deeply concave, keeled on the back, membranous often with hyaline margins, 5–7-nerved, awnless; callus short, obtuse, often with loose woolly hairs; ovary glabrous, the hilum basal and punctiform.
Spikelets 2-to several-flowered, the rachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the florets, the uppermost floret reduced or rudimentary; glumes acute, the first 1-nerved, the second usually 3-nerved; lemmas acute or subobtuse, 5-nerved, usually pubescent on the nerves, sometimes webbed at the base, the tip and margins often scarious.
Spikelets solitary, pedicelled, laterally compressed, muticous, 2-several-flowered; rhachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the florets, terete, glabrous or sparsely hairy; florets all hermaphrodite but for the usually reduced uppermost one (very rarely the 2 uppermost florets female only).
Lemmas exceeding the glumes, (3)5-7-nerved, keeled, deeply concave, membranous, often with hyaline margins, apex acute to obtuse, usually pilose to a varying degree; callus short, obtuse, often with a woolly indumentum.
Paleas shorter than or as long as the corresponding lemmas, 2-keeled, thinly membranous, usually ciliolate along the keels, with the apex usually emarginate.
Caryopsis ovate, oblong or linear-oblong in outline, often grooved, usually free between the lemma and palea; embryo small; hilum basal, punctiform.
Glumes 2, slightly unequal, 1-3-nerved, thinly membranous, keeled, usually glabrous, persistent.
Ovary glabrous; styles distinct, rather short; stigmas plumose, laterally exserted.
Inflorescence a lax or contracted sometimes spike-like panicle.
Lodicules 2, rather small, cuneate-2-lobate or lanceolate.
Annuals or perennials of a wide range of habits.
Ligule membranous or hyaline.
Stamens 3.
