Perennials; culms strongly tufted, solid, glabrous or hairy. Leaf-sheath glabrous or hairy; ligule membranous, ciliate; blades linear, with narrowed, but not petiole-like base, and with acute tip, glabrous or hairy, the margins revolute when dry. Inflorescence composed of spike-like racemes arranged in panicles or racemes, the central axis of inflorescence branched from all sides; racemes
2-several jointed; rachis breaking up at maturity. Spikelets dorsiventrally arranged, in alternate pairs, one of a pair pedicelled, the other sessile; the uppermost pair forming a triad with the terminal spikelet; spikelets lanceolate, dorsally compressed, aromatic, rachis of racemes and pedicels usually with a translucent longitudinal groove, entirely hairy or only so along margins. Sessile spikelets with fascicle of hairs at base, usually with geniculate awn, barren, bisexual or staminate, falling off together with adjacent rachis-joint and pedicel; lower glume as long as spikelet, herbaceous, margins narrowly incurved, depressed or flat or with pits, 6-10-nerved, the midnerve wanting or obscure; lower lemma shorter than glume, nerveless; lower palea wanting; upper lemma consisting of geniculate awn with stipe-like,
hyaline base; upper palea wanting; lodicules 2; stamens 3 or wanting; styles 2,
placed just below apex of ovary, the large stigmas laterally exserted. Pedicelled spikelets muticous, usually similar to sessile ones, equally large or slightly smaller and/or narrower, staminate or sometimes neuter or rudimentary; stamens 3; lower palea, upper lemma and upper palea wanting.
About 10 species distributed in the warm regions of the Old World;.
Three species and one variety are found in Taiwan.
