Perennial, erect or prostrate tufts, 8-80 cm; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, firmly membranous, light brown, sometimes purplish near base; ligule 1-1.5-(2) mm, entire and rounded across top, rarely tapered and subacute; leaf-blades 3—6.5—(12) × 1—3 mm, flat, or folded with inrolled margins, abaxially smooth, adaxially shallowly ridged and scabrous on ridges, margins sparsely scabrous, tip scabrous, acute or hooded. Culms (5)-10-60 cm, enclosed by uppermost leaf-sheaths at flowering, later visible, smooth. Panicle (3)-10-24 × 2-18 cm, ovate to ± triangular, very lax and open; branches finely scabrous, bare below, later spreading to deflexed. Spikelets 3-6 mm, 3-7-flowered, greenish or purplish. Glumes ± unequal, minutely scabrous across obtuse tip; lower glume 0.7-1.2 mm, 1-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate; upper glume 1.1— 1.8 mm, 3-nerved, ovate. Lemma 1.5—2.4 mm, indistinctly 5-nerved, with short hairs at base and on nerves near base, broad-elliptic or ovate, ± membranous with nerves not reaching upper wide hyaline margin, minutely ciliate across broadly obtuse to almost truncate tip. Palea ± = lemma, tip shortly bifid, keels ciliate-scabrous in upper 2/3. Rachilla 0.6- 0.8 mm. Anthers 0.6-1 mm. Caryopsis 1-1.7 × 0.3- 0.6 mm. 2n = 42. Naturalised from Eurasia.

Perennial, yellowish green or glaucous tufts, (3)— 10— 65 cm, with culms often much overtopping leaves; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, subcoriaceous, greyish to straw-coloured; ligule 0.5— 1.5—(2) mm, tip truncate to rounded, or shortly tapered; leaf-blades (3)—5—12 cm × (1.5)—2—3.5 mm, flat or folded, abaxially smooth, adaxially shallowly ridged and scaberulous on ridges, margins scaberulous, tip hooded. Culms 15-40 cm, smooth, erect or spreading. Panicle (1.5)—4—15 × 0.4—5-{7) cm, lanceolate, or narrow-oblong to ovate, usually contracted, sometimes more open; branches scabrous, all, or at least the shortest, bearing densely clustered spikelets to the base. Spikelets 3.5—5.5 mm, (3)—4— 5-{8)-flowered, greyish green, often purple tinged. Glumes ± unequal, elliptic to ovate, obtuse to subacute, midnerve often finely scabrous above, tips minutely ciliate; lower glume 0.7-1.5—(1.8) mm, 1- nerved; upper glume 1.2—2 mm, 3-nerved. Lemma 1.7-2.6 mm, 5-nerved, with short hairs at base and on lateral nerves for a short distance near base or sometimes on lower half, elliptic-oblong, minutely ciliate across subobtuse tip, midnerve reaching tip of lemma and often minutely excurrent, minutely scabrous near tip. Palea ± = lemma, tip shallowly bifid, keels ciliate-scabrous in upper ½-2/3. Rachilla 0.4-0.8 mm. Anthers 0.5-0.9 mm. Caryopsis 1.2— 1.5 × 0.4-0.6 mm. 2n = 28. Naturalised from N. America and Europe.

Perennial tufts, 4-25 cm, with culms completely enclosed by leaf-sheaths and panicles overtopped by the soft, dull green leaves; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, hyaline, whitish green, much wider than leaf-blades; ligule 0.7—1.5 mm, erose; leaf-blades 2—8 cm × c. 1 mm, flat or folded, sometimes with inrolled margins, smooth throughout, tip obtuse. Culms erect, or geniculate at base. Panicle 1.5-6 × 0.5—1 cm, lanceolate, with few, short, erect, sharply angled, smooth to sparsely scabrous branches. Spikelets 4—6.5—(8) mm, 3—5-flowered, pale green, sometimes purplish. Glumes ± unequal, elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, obtuse; lower glume 1.6-2.6 mm, 1-3-nerved; upper glume 2-3.5 mm, 3— (5)-nerved. Lemma 3-4 mm, 5-nerved, elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, glabrous or with a few hairs at base and on nerves near base, midnerve almost reaching obtuse tip. Palea ± = lemma, keels conspicuously long-ciliate at midway with shorter prickle teeth in upper ¼, and glabrous in lower ¼, tip truncate to bifid with the keels not excurrent. Rachilla 0.7-1.2 mm. Anthers 0.4-0.9 mm. Caryopsis 1.5-1.7 × 0.6-0.8 mm. 2n = 28. Endemic.

Perennials, biennials, or annuals. Leaf-sheaths open; ligule membranous; leaf-blades flat, folded, or involute. Inflorescence an open or contracted panicle. Spikelets 2-several-flowered, pedicellate, laterally compressed or almost cylindric; rachilla disarticulating above glumes and between florets, glabrous, prolonged beyond uppermost floret. Glumes usually unequal and < adjacent lemmas, obtuse or acute, rounded at back, awnless, herbaceous to membranous, with hyaline margins; lower glume 1—(3)-nerved, upper glume 3—(5)-nerved. Lemma 5-(7)-nerved, usually oblong, obtuse, or sometimes acute, awnless, often pubescent near base especially on nerves, or rarely completely glabrous, with tip usually scarious or hyaline and ± erose, rounded on back. Palea ± = lemma, shortly bifid, keels scaberulous to ciliate, rarely slightly excurrent. Callus glabrous. Lodicules 2, membranous, lanceolate, acute. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous; styles free. Caryopsis oblong; hilum subbasal, punctiform or shortly elliptic; embryo small. Temperate regions throughout the world, but principally in Asia, c. 80 species. Usually in coastal salt marshes, or inland on saline or alkaline soils. Type species: P. distans (L.) Parl.

Low-growing perennial to 4.5 cm, sometimes forming a loosely woven mat to 2 m diam. or more, usually almost entirely covered by soil, rarely flowering and only the short very narrow dull green curved leaves visible; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, submembranous, much wider than leafblades, nerves few, distinct; ligule 0.2—0.6 mm, subhyaline, obtuse or truncate; leaf-blades 1-3 cm × 0.2—0.5 mm, setaceous, involute, smooth, subacute, margins minutely scaberulous. Culms entirely enclosed by leaf-sheaths. Panicle rarely present, 10—16 mm long, enclosed by leaf-sheaths for about half its length, overtopped by leaf-blades, bearing up to 12 spikelets, lowermost branches enclosed by leaf-sheaths, smooth, uppermost branches scaberulous. Spikelets 3-4—(4.8) mm, 4-6-flowered, green to brownish green. Glumes unequal, ovate, obtuse, submembranous; lower glume 0.6—1 mm, 1-nerved; upper glume 1.1-1.4 mm, 3-nerved. Lemma 1.8—2.5 mm, 5-nerved, ovate-elliptic, entirely glabrous, midnerve ± reaching subacute tip. Palea ± = lemma, keels scabrous in upper 2/3 Rachilla 0.4-0.5 mm. Anthers 0.4-0.6 mm. Caryopsis 1.2— 1.6 × 0.6-0.7 mm. Endemic.

Gramen perenne humile, tegetem laxam interdum formans, plerumque solo fere omnino amictum, raro florens, nullo modo visibile praeter folia parva, perangusta, obscuroviridia, recurva; Puccinelliae strictae affine foliis setaceis, a qua differt innovationibus extravaginalibus, paniculis inter folia paene celatis, lemmatibusque omnino glabris.

Annual or biennial tufts, (6)—10—35 cm, with procumbent to ascending culms and wide leaves; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, firmly membranous, closely nerved, light green to creamish brown; ligule (1.2)—1.5—2 mm, truncate to ± acute at centre; leaf-blades 2.5-6 cm × 2-5 mm, flat or folded, abaxially finely scabrous on midnerve, adaxially scabrous on nerves, margins scabrous, tip hooded. Culms (5)—15—30 cm, overtopping leaves, smooth. Panicle (2.5)—4—8 × (0.7)—1—5 cm, ovate or oblong, stiff; branches short, scabrous on angles, bearing close-set, very shortly pedicelled spikelets along one side almost to base. Spikelets 4.5-5.5-(7) mm, 3-4-flowered. Glumes unequal, strongly nerved, ovate-elliptic, tip minutely scabrous, obtuse, or midnerve sometimes slightly excurrent; lower glume 1.3—2.2 mm, 3-nerved; upper glume 2—3 mm, 3—5-nerved. Lemma 2.7—3.5 mm, strongly 5-nerved, with short hairs at base and on lateral nerves near base, elliptic, firm, margin hyaline, tip obtuse, minutely scabrous, midnerve sometimes very slightly excurrent. Palea = lemma, keels ciliate-scabrous in upper ¼, tip ± entire, shallowly bifid. Rachilla slightly > 1 mm. Anthers 0.8—1.2 mm. Caryopsis 1.6-2 × 0.5-0.7 mm. 2n = 42. Naturalised from W. Europe.

Light bluish green or rarely pale yellow-green perennial tufts, (2.5)-10-50-(65) cm, with stiff culms and leaves, or with finer and less rigid leaves; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, submembranous to subcoriaceous, + distinctly nerved, light brownish to purplish; ligule 0.7— 1.5—(2) mm, smooth, rounded to truncate, or + tapered at centre and acute; leaf-blades 1-12 cm, involute, c. 0.5 mm diam. in rolled state, rigid and erect, or finer and softer, abaxially smooth, adaxially sparsely scabrous on nerves, or sometimes densely scabrous throughout, margins scabrous, narrowed to a fine acute tip. Culms (2)-5-20-(40) cm, enclosed by uppermost leaf-sheaths at flowering, later visible, smooth, erect. Panicle (2}-4.5-14.5-(20) × 0.2-5.5 cm, at first narrow-linear, racemose above, with few, erect, usually scabrous branches below, later more open with ± spreading branches bare at base. Spikelets 3.5—9- (10.5) mm, 2—10-flowered, narrow, almost terete, light green to purplish. Glumes often quite unequal, elliptic-oblong, margins and sometimes midnerve minutely ciliate near tip; lower glume (0.6)—0.8— 2.3 mm, 1-nerved, subacute to subobtuse; upper glume (1.3)—2—3.5 mm, 3-nerved, subobtuse to obtuse. Lemma (2)-2.5—3-(4) mm, 5-nerved, broadelliptic, with very minute hairs at base not usually visible at × 10, and occasionally a few minute hairs on nerves near base, midnerve usually not quite reaching finely ciliate, obtuse tip. Palea slightly < lemma, bifid, keels scabrous in upper 2/3. Rachilla 0.5-1 mm. Anthers 0.4-1 mm. Caryopsis 1-1.8 × 0.4-0.7 mm. Also indigenous to Australia.

Erect, bluish green or light green to pale brownish green, stiff, dense, very leafy tufts, (6)-10-50 cm, with uppermost leaves usually overtopping culms; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, firmly membranous, finely nerved; ligule 0.6-3 mm, obtuse or truncate, or sometimes tapered at centre and acute, smooth, entire; leaf-blades 5-25 cm long, folded and then 5—10 mm wide, or sometimes almost flat, abaxially smooth, adaxially shallowly ridged and sparsely scabrous on ridges, margins scabrous, tip smooth, ± firmly acute, sometimes subobtuse and ± apiculate. Culms smooth, usually enclosed by sheaths. Panicle ± overtopped by leaves, linear-lanceolate, erect, contracted, dense; branches stiff, erect, sometimes ± spreading at maturity. Spikelets (3)-5— 9 mm, 2—5-flowered, bluish green or sometimes purplish. Glumes ± unequal, narrow-lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, subacute; lower glume 1.5—3.6-(4.2) mm, 1—3-nerved; upper glume 2-4.5—(5) mm, 3—5- nerved. Lemma 3—5 mm, 5—7-nerved, elliptic-oblong, usually with a few hairs at base and on nerves near base, sometimes with hairs on nerves to c. ½ way. Palea < or occasionally = lemma. Rachilla 0.8- 1.5-(1.8)mm. Anthers (0.6)-0.8-1.5 mm. Caryopsis (1.5)-1.8-2.6 × 0.4-0.8 mm. Endemic.

Plants (9.5)—15—50 cm. Leaf-sheaths straw-coloured to light greenish brown or grey-brown, sometimes purplish. Panicle (3)—6—17 × 0.5—2.5—(11) cm, with scabrous, acute-angled branches. Lemma with minutely ciliate-scabrous, subobtuse to obtuse tip and midnerve not excurrent. Palea keels scabrous in upper ½-2/3, reaching only to palea-tip. Endemic.

Plants 6.5—25 cm. Leaf-sheaths straw-coloured to light grey-brown or greenish brown. Panicle 2.5—8 × 0.4—1.5 cm, with smooth to sparsely scabrous, sharply acute-angled branches. Lemma with ciliatescabrous, subobtuse tip and slightly excurrent midnerve. Palea keels scabrous in upper ½, excurrent. Endemic.

Plants (6)-10-40-(50) cm. Leaf-sheaths light greenish brown, sometimes dark brown or purplish. Panicle 2—10—(13) × 0.5—1.5 cm, with smooth, subacute- angled branches. Lemma with minutely ciliate-scabrous, obtuse tip and slightly excurrent midnerve, very rarely entire; usually 5-nerved, rarely 7-nerved. Palea keels scabrous in upper 1/3, very rarely slightly ciliate below, reaching only to paleatip. Endemic.