Perennials, tufted, sometimes shortly rhizomatous. Culms unbranched. Leaf sheaths of tillering leaves usually closed; leaf blades mainly basal, narrow, flat, or inrolled and filiform to setaceous; ligule membranous. Inflorescence a dense spikelike panicle, shining; branches short, erect, hispidulous to woolly. Spikelets with 2 to several florets; rachilla puberulous or glabrous, disarticulating below each floret; glumes narrow, unequal or subequal, equaling or shorter than florets, strongly keeled, thinly herbaceous, 1–3(–5)-veined, margins broad, hyaline, shining; floret callus small, glabrous or very shortly hairy; lemmas membranous or papery, strongly compressed, sharply keeled, 3–5-veined, margins hyaline, shining, apex obtuse to acuminate, awnless or with a subapical mucro; palea subequaling lemma, hyaline, gaping free from lemma margins. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous. Endosperm sometimes liquid.

This is a genus of narrowly defined, closely related species. They provide good forage in mountain steppe.

About 35 species:temperate regions throughout the world, also on tropical mountains; four species in China.

(Authors: Wu Zhenlan (吴珍兰); Sylvia M. Phillips)