Germainia  

Perennial, tufted, rarely stoloniferous. Culms slender, erect; nodes glabrous to pubescent or pilose. Leaf-blades lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear, hairy to glabrous. Ligule an eciliate or ciliolate membrane. Inflorescence of 1--2(--6) racemes, racemes capitate or elongate or subdigitate, closely appressed to divergent, rachis internodes tough, short or almost reduced, racemes with 2--14 sessile and pedicelled spikelets; peduncles usually exserted, rarely enclosed in uppermost sheath, espatheate, glabrous to hirsute. Spikelets in pairs, heteromorphous, sometimes basal pairs reduced to the sessile spikelets forming an involucre, dorsally compressed, 2 florets, without rachilla extension. Sessile spikelets male, persistent; lower glumes membranous or chartaceous (G. pilosa, G. thailandica) or coriaceous, glabrous to hairy, obliquely bifid, muticous, truncate or obtuse, 7--9(--11)-nerved, nerves sometimes anastomosing; upper glumes membranous, almost reaching or exceeding apex of lower glumes in spikelets, acute or obtuse or dentate or emarginate, 3--5-nerved; lower florets sometimes absent if present male or neuter; lower lemmas membranous, acute to obtuse, 1(--3)-nerved; lower paleas membranous, acute or obtuse or bifid or dentate, 2-nerved; upper florets male or neuter; upper lemmas absent, if present linear or filiform, obtuse or acute to mucronate, 1-nerved; upper paleas as the lower one; lodicules absent; stamens 2. Pedicelled spikelets fertile, caducous; spikelet callus linear to obtuse, attached obliquely or transversely, hairy with yellowish to reddish brown hairs; glumes coriaceous, subequal, acute or obtuse or muticous, dentate or truncate, 3--7-nerved; lower florets usually suppressed, if present neuter, epaleate; upper florets female; upper lemmas reduced to the narrow stipitate base of awn base, awns geniculate with brown twisted columns, hirsutulous, caducous, 1-nerved; upper paleas membranous, almost glabrous; styles 2, stigmas plumose, exserted. Caryopsis with adherent pericarp, oblong, hilum punctiform.