Perennial, tufted. Leaf blades narrow, rolled. Inflorescence a contracted panicle. Spikelets with 1 floret, lightly laterally compressed; rachilla extension present, minute, glabrous or rarely with a few hairs; glumes subequal or lower glume slightly longer, as long as spikelet, herbaceous to scarious with hyaline margins, prominently 5–9-veined, apex acuminate; callus obtuse, shortly bearded; lemma narrowly oblong, shorter than glumes, papery, back rounded, 5–9-veined, hairy, apex deeply 2-lobed, awned from sinus; awn geniculate, column twisted; palea slightly shorter than lemma, 2-veined, not keeled. Lodicules 2(or 3), lanceolate. Stamens 3, anthers glabrous at apex. Ovary glabrous, stigmas 3, subsessile.

The presence of a rachilla extension is anomalous in Stipeae, which normally have strictly 1-flowered spikelets, and on this account the genus is sometimes placed in Aveneae. However, the multi-veined glumes, rounded palea lacking keels, and linear hilum are all Stipoid characters.

* One species: W China.