Perennial herb; culms slender, often suffused with reddish puple; leaf blades linear lanceolate, sheath short,light , globrou, ligules membranous; cacemes in fascicles of 8-10, combine into a leafy panide; spathe shorter than the racemes; spikelets in groups of 3, one sessile, bisekual, second imperfect reduced at based and a terminal male or nevter, rarely bisckual; sessile spikelets lower glume 11-13 nerved, upper glume cybiform, 7-nerved, 2-tipped; lower lemma folded byaline. 3-nerved, awned or awnlees anther 3, yellow; upper lemma 3-nerved, notched, awned, bent, second sikelet male; anthers 3, yellow; terminal spikelet lumma not notched, neuter or male; caryopsis oblong, with large embryo.