The only genome identified in Eremium is the N genome. For this reason, and its morphological similarity, it has been transferred to Leymus.
Plants perennial, cespitose. Culms 30–70 cm tall. nodes glabrous; basal branching intravaginal.
Leaves not basally concentrated; sheaths hairy, sometimes becoming glabrous with age; ligules 0.3-1 mm, with a fringe of hairs; auricles present; blades (2)7–14.5(20) mm wide, rolled.
Spikelets 10–20 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, with 1-3(5) florets, the distal florets reduced. Glumes more or less equal, about 10-20 mm long, linear-subulate, glabrous, veins sometimes scabrous, acute; lower glume 1(3)-veined; upper glume (1)3-veined. Lemmas hairy, often densely so, particularly on the margins. 5-7-veined, the veins converging distally, awned, 1.8-10.2 mm long. Lodicules membranous, ciliate. Anthers 2.2–4 mm long Ovary with hairy top hairy. Styles 2.
Caryopses about 5.5 mm long; hilum long-linear; e mbryo small.
Cytology. Chromosome base number, x = 7. 2n = 42. 6 ploid. Haplomic genome content uncertain, but lacks S and H genomes. Chromosomes large.
Tranferred to Leymus.
Eremium erianthus (Phil.) Seberg & Linde-Lauresen
Seberg, O., and I.Linde-Laursen. 1996. Eremium, a New Genus of the Triticeae (Poaceae) from Argentina. Systematic Botany
Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 1992 onwards. The grass genera of the world: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval; including synonyms, morphology, anatomy, physiology, phytochemistry, cytology, classification, pathogens, world and local distribution, and references. Version: 25th November 2008. http://delta-intkey.com