Dasyochloa
Encyclopedia
Dasyochloa is a monotypic species of grass
containing the single species Dasyochloa pulchella (syn.
Erioneuron pulchellum), which is known by the common names fluffgrass and low woollygrass. It is native to the Southwestern United States
, California
, and northern to central Mexico, where it grows in dry regions such as deserts.
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. The inflorescence
is one or two centimeters long and bears spikelets which are pale in color, sometimes striped with red, purple, or green.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
containing the single species Dasyochloa pulchella (syn.
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
Erioneuron pulchellum), which is known by the common names fluffgrass and low woollygrass. It is native to the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and northern to central Mexico, where it grows in dry regions such as deserts.
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. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is one or two centimeters long and bears spikelets which are pale in color, sometimes striped with red, purple, or green.