Usually perennials, rather coarse, of variable habit; long-rhizomatous, or caespitose, or straggling, or decumbent and rooting at nodes. Leaf-sheath open, or margins fused near base. Ligule membranous, sometimes ciliate. Leaf-blade variable in shape. Inflorescence with numerous racemes aggregated on an exserted peduncle, or racemes single or paired or few, the common peduncle usually enclosed by a spathe-like sheath; several spatheate raceme-clusters often forming a narrow or sometimes dense compound panicle. Racemes with paired spikelets, one sessile to shortly pedicelled, one longer-pedicelled, each pair borne at a node of the rachis which disarticulates at maturity; rachis and spikelet pedicels often densely villous. Spikelets 2-flowered, lower florets Ø, upper floret ☿ in ± sessile spikelets, or ♂, Ø or 0 in pedicelled spikelets. Pedicelled spikelet: ≈ sessile spikelet, florets awnless, sometimes reduced to 1 or 2 glumes or 0, with only pedicel present. Sessile spikelet: glumes very dissimilar, ± equal, subcoriaceous to membranous, glabrous or hairy; lower flat, concave or canaliculate, 2-keeled, 1-11-nerved, margins folded, upper naviculate, keeled above, 1-3-nerved, sometimes awned; lemmas < glumes, hyaline; lemma of upper ☿ floret awned, sometimes substipitate below awn; palea hyaline, nerveless, reduced or 0; lodicules fleshy, hairy or glabrous; stamens 3; ovary apex glabrous; caryopsis free from anthoecium, embryo large, c. ⅓ caryopsis, hilum punctiform or shortly elliptic, < ½ caryopsis.