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EUSTACHYS Desf.
Plants hermaphorditic, caespitose or rhizomatous or stoloniferous, annual or perennial. Culms erect or ascending, nodes
glabrous, internodes solid, terete. Leaves basal and cauline; not distinctly distichous; sheaths with compressed keels, margins
open; auricles absent; ligules a short ciliate membrane; blades flat or folded, linear, lax to stiff, apex acute to obtuse.
Panicles of spicate primary unilateral branches; branches digitate or subdigitate, ascending to spreading, terminating in a
spikelet. Spikelets solitary, laterally compressed, disarticulation above glumes, awned, sessile or subsessile;
florets 2-3 (1-perfect) reduced florets (second and third) at apex, callus glabrous; glumes 2, 1-veined,
unequal, shorter than first floret, glabrous, awned (from below apex); lemmas 3-veined, membranous to coriaceous, hairy,
apex entire or bifid, awnless or mucronate, veins hairy; paleas 2-veined, awnless, keels ciliate. Stamens 3;
anthers brown or tan. Caryopses ellipsoid, cross- section triangular, amber. Base chromosome number x=10.
A small tropical and subtropical genus of about 10 species. Some taxa are disturbance species of open
habitats especially roadsides.
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