Chloris

Annual or perennial, tufted, stoloniferous and rhizomatous. Leaf blade expanded, folded or rolled, rounded or keeled and flabellate; ligule a short, fringed membrane or fringe of hairs. Inflorescence of few to many 1-sided spike-like racemes, digitate or densely crowded on an elongated axis; spikelets solitary or in pairs, shortly pedicelled or subsessile. Spikelet 1.2-5.0 mm long, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes; glumes unequal, shorter than spikelet to longer (at least upper glume), membranous, keeled, 1-nerved, awnless or with awn-point; upper glume acute to bidentate. Florets 2-6; lowest floret bisexual; rarely all bisexual; lemma similar to firmer in texture than glumes, membranous or cartilaginous, dissimilar; lowest lemma keeled, usually hairy on margins or keels, or with a long tuft of hairs on upper part, 1-7-nerved, shortly 2-lobed, with a subapical awn, awn as long as or longer than body of lemma; callus usually minute, rounded or pungent, hairy; palea as long as lemma, 2-keeled, hyaline; remaining florets sterile or much reduced, sometimes male; second lemma spathulate or obovate, truncate, glabrous, awned, awn shorter than body of lemma; third and fourth lemma, if present, much reduced, uppermost often reduced to a bristle. Lodicules 2, minute. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous; styles plumose above. Caryopsis ellipsoid, trigonous to lanceolate and subterete. x= 10 (aneuploids, high polyploidy).