Perennial or annual. Culms tufted, simple or sparingly branched. Leaf blades narrowly linear; ligule a line of hairs. Inflorescence a single terminal raceme, spikelets paired, dissimilar; rachis internodes and pedicels subinflated, stoutly linear to subclavate, densely white-ciliate along margins. Sessile spikelet bisexual, narrow, compressed between internode and pedicel; callus rounded, inserted into shallowly hollowed internode apex; lower glume leathery, back concave or longitudinally grooved, strongly veined on either side of groove but midvein absent, 2-keeled, keels lateral or becoming dorsal toward base, barely winged, apex elongate, scarious, 2-toothed; upper glume boat-shaped, finely awned; lower floret staminate, well developed with palea; upper lemma 2-lobed, awned from sinus; awn geniculate, column glabrous or ciliolate. Pedicelled spikelet large, conspicuous, usually staminate, lanceolate, strongly dorsally compressed, distinctly veined, midvein present, awnless. x = 10 and 20.

Five species: E Africa through India to SE Asia and Australia; one species in China.

(Authors: Sun Bixing (孙必兴 Sun Bi-sin); Sylvia M. Phillips)