Malacurus

a genus of plants of the family Gramineae. It includes a single species, Malacurus lanatus. It is a perennial, densely matted herb with coarse, gray-green leaf blades. The inflorescence is a dense, shaggy spike measuring 10–12 cm long; the spikelets bear three or four flowers and rest in pairs on the rachis. The plant grows in Middle Asia (Pamiro-Alai) and in Afghanistan on rocky slopes and rock debris in subalpine and alpine zones. It yields a coarse, low-quality hay; in the early stages of its development, the plant is eaten by yaks and camels.