Plants annual or perennial. Culms 10-350 cm, often decumbent, sometimes branched above the base. Leaves not aromatic; sheaths open; ligules membranous, glabrous or ciliate, sides often higher than the middle. Inflorescences terminal, sometimes also axillary; inflorescence units with (1)2-many rames on a common peduncle; rames secund, ascending, members of a cluster sometimes so closely appressed as to appear as one; internodes stoutly linear to clavate. Spikelets in homogamous or heterogamous sessile-pedicellate or unequally pedicellate pairs; disarticulation in the rames, below both the sessile and pedicellate spikelets. Sessile spikelets dorsally compressed; glumes subequal; lower glumes 2-keeled, keels sometimes winged; upper glumes keeled, sometimes awned; lower florets staminate; upper florets bisexual, lemmas usually bifid and awned from the sinus. Pedicels fused to the rame axes, clavate or inflated, sometimes as wide as the spikelets. Pedicellate spikelets morphologically and sexually similar to the sessile spikelets or staminate and reduced. x = 9, 10. Name from the Greek ischion, hip or hip-joint socket.
