About Dasyochloa pulchella Willd.
Dasyochloa pulchella Willd. is a perennial bunchgrass that forms small tufts only a few centimeters tall, with clumps of short, sharp-pointed leaves. The tufts are often covered in masses of cottony fibers, which are actually hairlike strands of excreted, evaporated mineral salts. After summer rains, its leaves develop soft, cob-webby hairs that dissolve in water; these hairs are typically not present in spring. Numerous hairless, wiry stems grow between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) tall. The hairy inflorescence takes the form of a spikelet at the tip of each stem, surrounded by a bundle of bract-like leaves, and measures 6 to 12 centimeters (2 1⁄2 to 4 1⁄2 inches) long. The spikelets are pale in color, and sometimes marked with red, purple, or green stripes. This grass blooms from February to May. It is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northern to central Mexico, where it grows in dry regions such as deserts.
