Annual or perennial herbs; culms 15-80 cm high, tufted, erect or creeping and rooting at the lower nodes. × Leaves 3.5-36 0.4-1 cm, lanceolate to linear, base rounded, apex acuminate; sheaths to 15 cm long; ligules membranous. Racemes usually 2, rarely 3-5, 2.5-7 cm long; rachis flat. Spikelets 2-ranked or L. 3-ranked, 2-3.5 mm long, ovate-orbicular or obovate, obtuse. Lower glume absent. × Upper glume 2-3.5 2-2.5 mm, ovate or orbicular, membranous. Lower floret barren. Upper floret bisexual. First lemma × 2-3.5 2-2.5 mm, ovate or orbicular, × crustaceous; palea 2-2.5 1.5-2 mm, ovate or orbicular, crustaceous, inflexed. Stamens 3; anthers yellow or brown. Ovary ca. 0.5 mm long; stigmas cream yellow in colour.