Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial.

Stems: Rhizomes absent or elongated. Stolons absent or present. Culms decumbent or prostrate 1.5–50 cm long, firm or wiry. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse, or ample.

Roots: Roots fibrous.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades filiform, or linear or lanceolate. Apex muticous or pungent. Blades herbaceous or coriaceous; stiff, or firm. Veins parallel. Ligule a ciliate membrane, or a fringe of hairs. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence composed of racemes, or comprising only a few spikelets; subtended by an unspecialized leaf-sheath, or an inflated leaf-sheath; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Racemes single; linear, or lanceolate; multilateral; bearing few fertile spikelets, or many spikelets; bearing 3–12 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing crowded, or contiguous, or lax. Spikelets appressed, or ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear or oblong or cuneate; tip widened. Spikelets comprising 1 fertile floret, without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate or elliptic or oblong or ovate; laterally compressed; 2–8 mm long; falling entire. Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets, or exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Upper glume lanceolate, or elliptic or oblong, or ovate; 1–1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous, or coriaceous; without keels, or 1-keeled; 1 -veined, or 3-veined, or 5-veined, or 7-veined. Upper glume surface smooth or asperulous; glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex entire, or erose; obtuse, or acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Fertile lemma lanceolate or elliptic or oblong or ovate hyaline or membranous; without keel, or keeled; wingless; 1-veined. Lemma surface unwrinkled; without grooves. Lemma apex entire, or erose; emarginate, or obtuse; muticous or mucronate. Palea present or absent or minute; 0.5–0.9 length of lemma; hyaline, or membranous; 0-veined; without keels or 2-keeled. Lodicules absent. Anthers 3.

Fruit: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: