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SCHEDONNARDUS Steud.
Plants hermaphroditic, caespitose, perennial. Culms decumbent or mat forming, glabrous to hairy; internodes hollow or solid,
terete. Leaves mostly basal, not distinctly distichous; sheaths with compressed keels, margins open; auricles absent; ligules
membranous; blades flat or folded or involute, linear (commonly twisted upon drying), lax, apex acuminate. Panicles with
a stiff (frequently curved central axis) and several spicate primary unilateral branches; branches
alternate, spreading, terminating in a spikelet; disarticulation at panicle base, spikelets in two rows.
Spikelets solitary, laterally compressed, disarticulation above the glumes, awnless, sessile; florets 1,
reduced floret absent, callus glabrous, rachilla not extended beyond first floret, awnless; glumes 2, 1-veined, unequal,
second glume longer than first floret, glabrous, awnless; lemmas 3-veined, membranous to chartaceous, glabrous or
scabrous, apex entire (acuminate), awnless (rarely mucronate); paleas 2-veined, awnless, glabrous. Stamens 3; anthers yellow.
Caryopses fusiform. Base chromosome number x=10.
A monotypic New World genus. This Great Plains species is most frequent on clay or clay loan soils. The
species offers little as a livestock forage.
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