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WILLKOMMIA Hack.
Plant hermaphroditic, caespitose or stoloniferous, annual or perennial (Texas species). Culms erect or ascending, glabrous;
internodes hollow, terete. Leaves mostly basal, not distinctly distichous; sheaths terete, margins open; auricles absent;
ligules a ciliate membrane; blades flat or folded or involute, lax, apex acuminate. Panicles of 3 to several spicate primary
unilateral branches; branches mostly alternate, appressed, terminating in a spikelet, spikelets in two rows.
Spikelets solitary, dorsiventrally compressed, disarticulation above the glumes, mucronate or awnless, subsessile;
florets 1, reduced floret absent, callus glabrous, rachilla not extended beyond first floret, awnless; glumes 2,
first veinless, second 1-veined, unequal, longer than floret, glabrous, awnless; lemmas 3-veined, membranous,
pubescent, apex entire (acuminate), awnless or mucronate, awn when present apical; paleas 2-veined, awnless, glabrous of
hairy. Stamens 3; anthers pale yellow. Caryopsis elliptical. Base chromosome number x=10.
A genus of about four species. These species are adapted to open savannah and clay soils. Our species is
endemic to South Texas.
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