Perennials, compactly tufted. Culms slender, rigidly erect, unbranched. Leaf blades mainly basal, filiform; ligule membranous with ciliate fringe. Inflorescence a single subsecund spikelike raceme with sessile or subsessile, biseriate spikelets. Spikelets laterally compressed with many tightly imbricate florets, narrow, often linear-oblong, lemmas disarticulating at maturity leaving the persistent rachilla and paleas, but sometimes the upper part shed as a whole; glumes shorter than lemmas, subequal or upper slightly longer, 1–3-veined; lemmas ovate or lanceolate, cartilaginous, 3-veined, glabrous, keeled along midvein, acute or obtuse; palea keels usually narrowly winged, wing margins usually ciliolate. Grain ellipsoid.

This homogeneous and easily recognized genus of rather small grasses is split from Eragrostis on the basis of its single terminal raceme.

Six species: E Africa through India to SE Asia and N Australia; one species (endemic) in China.

(Authors: Chen Shouliang (陈守良); Sylvia M. Phillips)