Summary
Dasyochloa is a monotypic genus containing the single species Dasyochloa pulchella[1] (formerly Erioneuron pulchellum),[2] known as desert fluff-grass or low woollygrass[citation needed], a densely tufted perennial grass found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.[3]
| Dasyochloa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Chloridoideae |
| Tribe: | Cynodonteae |
| Subtribe: | Scleropogoninae |
| Genus: | Dasyochloa Willd. ex Rydb. |
| Species: | D. pulchella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dasyochloa pulchella (Kunth) Willd. ex Rydb.
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Erioneuron pulchellum | |
Range and habitat edit
It is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northern to central Mexico, where it grows in dry regions such as deserts.
Growth pattern edit
It is a perennial bunchgrass forming small tufts just a few centimeters high with clumps of short, sharp-pointed leaves. The tufts are often enveloped in masses of cottony fibers; these are actually hairlike strands of excreted and evaporated mineral salts.[1]
Stems and leaves edit
The leaves produce soft, cob-webby hairs that dissolve in water, after summer rains.[3] The hairs are typically not present in spring.[3] Numerous hairless, wiry, stems are 2–5 inches (5–13 cm) tall.[3]
Inflorescence edit
The hairy inflorescence is a spikelet on the end of the stem, surrounded by a bundle of bractlike leaves, and is 1/4" to 1/2" long.[3] The spikelets which are pale in color, sometimes striped with red, purple, or green.[citation needed] It blooms from February to May.[3]
References edit
External links edit
- Jepson Manual Treatment
- USDA Plants Profile
- Photo gallery