Polypogon

a genus of plants of the family Gramineae. They are annual or perennial herbs with flat leaf blades. The inflorescence is a dense, generally cylindrical, setaceous panicle of small single-flowered spikelets. The glumes, which are almost equal, are rounded on the back. The membranous lemma has five veins; it is awnless or has a very short awn. There are from eight to ten species of Polypogon (according to other data, up to 15), distributed in temperate (in the south), subtropical, and tropical regions. Three annual species are found in the southern European USSR, the Caucasus, the southern part of Western Siberia, and Middle Asia; they grow in moist, brackish meadows, on sandy riverbanks, and in saline soils. They also grow as weeds among crops. Young plants are readily eaten by cattle.