Perennial, rhizomatous, shruby grass up to a meter tall. Leaf-blade usually rolled sometimes flat, firm, filiform; ligule a rim of hairs. Inflorescence in a terminal, silky-hairy spicate raceme, up to 12 cm long; spikelets borne in pairs or in group of 3, one is sessile and the other(s) are or is pedicellate; the sessile spikelets 2-flowered with the lower florets male. Sessile spikelet flat across the back; glumes coriaceous, the lower glume densely villous on the back, attenuate, bicaudate; upper glume boat-shaped, keeled, ciliate along the keels.