Herbs, perennial or more rarely annual. Culms tufted, erect, 3-angled or terete. Leaves basal or cauline; sheath closed, with or without a ligule; leaf blade linear, flat or canaliculate. Involucral bracts leaflike, sheathing. Inflorescences paniculate, usually consisting of terminal and lateral anthelae, sometimes spicate or capitate. Spikelets sessile or pedunculate, narrowly ovoid, ovoid, or ellipsoid, slightly bilaterally compressed or terete. Glumes few to many, spirally imbricate or rarely distichous, 1-veined; basal 3 or 4 glumes shorter than apical ones and empty. Flowers bisexual or basal flower bisexual and apical one male or sterile. Perianth bristles 0-6(-13), antrorsely or retrorsely scabrous, rarely smooth. Stamens 2 or 3. Style slender; stigmas 2. Nutlet usually obovoid to ovoid, biconvex, with various ornamentations or more rarely smooth; persistent style base thickened, mostly conic or rarely lunate, spongy, base truncate or ± lobed.

About 350 species: cosmopolitan but particularly in tropics and subtropics of the New World; nine species in China.

(Authors: Liang Songyun (梁松筠 Liang Song-jun); David A. Simpson)