Urelytrum Hack.

Perennials, rarely annual. Leaf-blades flat; ligule membranous. Inflorescence of 1–many subdigitate (rarely paniculate) racemes; racemes cylindrical or slightly dorsally flattened, very fragile, moderately slender; internodes clavate, glabrous to pubescent, the top crateriform with a lobed scarious rim. Sessile spikelet narrowly ovate to narrowly oblong; callus oblique, broadly obtuse to cuneate, pubescent, inserted into the top of the internode this concealing the hairs or almost so; lower glume coriaceous, broadly convex, the margins sharply inflexed becoming keeled towards the tip, wingless, without a prominent ciliate fringe, smooth on the back with the nerves raised at the tip only or not at all, often muricate on the sides, usually entire, exceptionally biaristulate; upper glume awnless; lower floret ♂; upper lemma entire and awnless. Caryopsis ellipsoid. Pedicelled spikelet almost as long as the sessile or much reduced, its lower glume drawn out into a long curved awn, rarely awnless.