Spikelets 1-fld, strongly flattened, articulated above the glumes; glumes equal, compressed and keeled, stoutly 3-veined, truncate or rounded to acuminate, with thin or scarious margins; lemma much shorter than the glumes, thin and delicate, broad, 3-5-veined, obtuse or truncate, awnless; palea narrow, to nearly as long as the lemma; mostly tufted grasses with membranous, often elongate ligule, flat lvs, and very dense, cylindric to ellipsoid, spike- like panicles; our spp. perennials with awned glumes. 10, temp. and cool regions.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
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