Pentaschistis

Perennial, rarely annual, tufted, sometimes rhizomatous, occasionally cushion-forming. Leaf blade variable, often with few to many linear, tubercular, stalked or saucer-shaped glands, particularly on nerves and margins; ligule a fringe of hairs. Inflorescence an open, contracted panicle or sometimes spike-like; spikelets solitary, pedicelled. Spikelet 2-20 mm long, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes; glumes +/- equal, as long as to longer than spikelet (excluding awns), similar, lanceolate, 1-nerved, 1-keeled, often glandular on keels, glabrous to puberulous all over, obtuse or acute or acuminate, usually awnless. Florets 2, rarely 1 (occasionally with rudiments of a third), bisexual; lemma 1.5-8.0 mm long, similar in texture to glumes, membranous, rounded on back, hairy or glabrous, +/- 7-9-nerved, 2-lobed, lobes awnless or awned; awn straight, shortly or partly fused to inner margin of lobe, central awn from between lobes or awnless, rarely only upper lemma awned; awn varying greatly in length, usually flat and twisted in lower part, geniculate, often longer than body of lemma; callus short, blunt, hairy; palea 2-keeled, bidentate apically, +/- as long as lemma, membranous. Lodicules 2, small. Stamens 3. Ovary oblong, glabrous; styles distinct, slender, plumose. x= 7, 10, 13 (polyploidy).