Rhizomatous perennials, compact, cushion-like, with close-set leaves, sometimes forming tufts from trailing culms; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath cross-veinlets few. Auricles fringed with some long fine hairs, or auricles 0. Ligule a minute ciliolate rim, or ciliate. Leaf-blade flat or inrolled, cross-veinlets prominent. Inflorescence a contracted panicle or reduced to a raceme. Spikelets laterally compressed, shortly pedicelled, falling entire from above persistent subequal glumes; 3-flowered, 2 lower reduced to unequal awned Ø lemmas; uppermost floret ☿, awnless; rachilla minutely prolonged. Glumes = ½ length of florets, ovate, subcoriaceous, smooth; lower usually faintly 3-nerved, upper usually faintly 5-nerved. Ø lemmas narrowly ovate-lanceolate, slightly narrowed above to a short, relatively thick, scabrid awn, cartilaginous, abaxially smooth or scarcely scabrid, adaxially minutely pubescent, keel smooth or scabrid, shortly hairy callus at base; lower Ø lemma 5-7-nerved; upper Ø lemma longer, usually 7-nerved. ☿ lemma ≥ lower Ø lemma, ≤ upper Ø lemma, slightly broader, ovate-lanceolate, awnless, subcoriaceous, smooth, but sometimes ± scabrid on midnerve, faintly 5-7-nerved, callus smooth. Palea membranous with 2 close-set central nerves. Lodicules 2, finely many-nerved in lower ½. Stamens 2. Styles free naked below; stig-mata plumose. Caryopsis narrow-oblong; embryo c. ⅕ caryopsis; hilum ≈ caryopsis.