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MICROCHLOA R. Br.
Plants hermaphroditic, caespitose, perennial. Culms erect or decumbent or mat forming, glabrous or scabrous; internodes solid,
terete. Leaves basal, not distinctly distichous; sheaths terete, margins open; auricles absent; ligules a ciliate membrane;
blades involute, narrow, stiff, apex acute. Inflorescence a curved unilateral spike, terminating in a spikelet,
spikelets in two rows. Spikelets solitary, terete or dorsiventrally compressed, disarticulation above the glumes, awnless
or mucronate, sessile; florets 1, reduced florets absent, callus hairy, rachilla not extended beyond floret; floret
awnless or mucronate; glumes 2, 1-veined, nearly equal, longer than the floret, glabrous, awnless; lemmas 3-veined,
membranous, hairy on veins, apex entire (acuminate), awnless or mucronate; paleas 2-veined, awnless, veins
ciliate. Stamens 3; anthers brown. Caryopses dorsiventrally compressed or terete, elliptical, amber. Base chromosome
number x=10.
A small genus with about four species. Our species is infrequent on rocky slopes of the Trans Pecos. This
species is more common in Mexico and Arizona where it appears to be adapted to granitic soils.
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