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Dasyochloa
Dasyochloa is a monotypic genus containing the single species Dasyochloa pulchella[1] (formerly Erioneuron pulchellum),[2] also known as desert fluff-grass or low woollygrass.[citation needed] It is a densely tufted perennial grass found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. DescriptionIt 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] 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 5–13 centimetres (2–5 in) tall.[3] The hairy inflorescence is a spikelet on the end of the stem, surrounded by a bundle of bractlike leaves, and is 6–12 cm (2+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 in) long.[3] The spikelets are pale in color, sometimes striped with red, purple, or green.[citation needed] It blooms from February to May.[3] Distribution and habitatIt is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northern to central Mexico, where it grows in dry regions such as deserts.[3] ReferencesExternal linksInformation related to Dasyochloa |
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