Plants perennial; cespitose, sometimes stoloniferous. Culms 10-70 cm, herbaceous, erect to decumbent, basal branching extravaginal. Leaves not aromatic; sheaths open; auricles absent; ligules membranous, truncate; blades flaccid, linear to lanceolate. Inflorescences terminal, of long-pedunculate, solitary, 1-sided rames (axillary rames occasionally present) with more than 1 spikelet unit; rame internodes clavate, glabrous; disarticulation in the rames. Spikelets in heteromorphic sessile-pedicellate pairs, pedicellate spikelets absent or rudimentary. Sessile spikelets imbricate, not embedded in the rame axes, dorsally compressed, with 2 florets, unawned; calluses truncate; glumes exceeding the florets, differing in shape; lower glumes 4-9-veined, 2-keeled, keels with spinelike projections and often winged distally, smooth between the keels, margins folded inward; upper glumes often shorter than the lower glumes, 3-5-veined, keels entire; lower florets staminate; lower paleas present; upper florets bisexual or pistillate; lemmas and paleas hyaline, unawned; anthers 3; style branches 2, red, free to the base. Pedicels closely appressed but not fused to the rame axes, flattened, thick, widening above the bases, glabrous. Pedicellate spikelets usually absent or rudimentary, occasionally well-developed. x = 9. Name from the Greek eremos, solitary, and chloa, grass, a reference to the solitary rame.

Eremochloa is a genus of 11 species that are native to Asia and Australia. One species is naturalized in the southeastern United States; another was found once in California but is not established in the Flora region.

1.   Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.
Centipede Grass

Plants mat-forming, stoloniferous, stolons to 150 cm, often branched, with well-developed leaves, and (usually) axillary fascicles of closely imbricate leaves. Culms 10-35 cm, unbranched. Sheaths mostly glabrous, margins sometimes pilose, keeled; leaves mostly basal, blades of basal leaves 0.5-15 cm long, 1-5 mm wide, glabrous or pilose, with papillose-based hairs near the base, margins glabrous or pectinate near the base; blades of upper leaves reduced to obsolete. Rames 1-3, 3-12 cm, straight; internodes 2-2.3 mm. Sessile spikelets (2.2)3-4 mm long, (1.1)1.8-2.2 mm wide, elliptic; calluses sparsely pubescent; glumes glabrous; lower glumes 5-7-veined, obtuse to truncate, often notched, keels with 1-several, 0.2-0.3 mm hooklike spines near the base, winged distally; upper glumes 3-veined, elliptic, acute; anthers of lower florets about 0.3 mm; anthers of upper florets 1.5-1.7 mm. Pedicels 2.8-3.5 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide at midlength. Pedicellate spikelets absent or to 3.4 mm, occasionally well-developed. Caryopses 1.5-2 mm, purple to reddish-brown or brown. 2n = 18.

Eremochloa ophiuroides, an east Asian species, was introduced into the southeastern United States as a lawn grass about 1920. It is now established along roadsides and in woods, fallow fields, and dunes in the region. It flowers from spring to fall, and sporadically at other times. The common name refers to the appearance of the leafy stolons.

2.   Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr.

Plants cespitose, sometimes shortly stoloniferous. Culms 30-70 cm, compressed, sometimes branching from the upper nodes. Leaves mostly basal; sheaths keeled, strongly distichous and imbricate, often loose, basal sheaths pubescent below; ligules to 0.6 mm, membranous; blades to 25 cm long, to 6 mm wide, flat or folded, basal blades glabrous. Rames 4-7 cm, straight to falcate; internodes 2-3 mm, clavate, shortly pubescent. Sessile spikelets 4-5 mm, ovoid-oblong; calluses pubescent; lower glumes elliptic, obscurely 7-9-veined, keeled, keels with conspicuous spines, basal spines to 3 mm, those near the apices to 0.3 mm; upper glumes 3-5-veined, keeled below; lower florets staminate; anthers about 2 mm, yellow; upper florets bisexual. Pedicels to 3 mm. Pedicellate spikelets not differentiated. 2n = 36.

Eremochloa ciliaris is native to southeast Asia. It was collected in San Francisco in the nineteenth century, but has not been reported since from the Flora region.