Perennials, rhizomatous, stoloniferous or tufted, often decumbent, bisexual. Culms often scandent or wiry, often long and scrambling. Young shoots extravaginal. Leaves nonauriculate; ligule an unfringed to fringed membrane; blade persistent. Inflorescence a 2-sided raceme or sometimes a panicle. Spikelets with 2 basal sterile florets and 1 bisexual floret terminating rachilla. Glumes unequal to subequal, shorter than adjacent lemma, muticous, keeled or dorsally rounded; lower glume 1, 3 or 5-nerved; upper glume 1, 3, 5 or 7-nerved. Sterile florets reduced to lemmas, muticous or mucronate, hardened at maturity, 7 (9)-nerved. Bisexual floret: lemma awnless, similar in texture to sterile lemmas, usually 7 or 9-nerved; stamens usually 4 (sometimes 2, rarely 1). Hilum short.
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