Pholiurus

a genus of herbaceous plants of the family Gramineae. There is a single species, P. pannonicus, a medium-sized annual with an upward-bending or erect stem. The linear leaves are narrow and flat, and the inflorescence is a narrow cylindrical spike. The two flowered spikelets are flattened at the sides and are arranged in a double row on the spike’s axis; they fall off completely during fruit formation. The upper glume is leathery, and the lemma is membranous. The plant is distributed in south eastern Europe, the Caucasus, southwestern Siberia, and Middle Asia. It grows on solonchak and slightly saline meadows and on solonetzes. During the spring and early summer, it is eaten by camels, sheep, and horses.