galleta
noun
ga·lle·ta gə-ˈye-tə 
gī-ˈe-tə
: either of two perennial grasses (Hilaria rigida and H. jamesii synonym Pleuraphis rigida and P. jamesii) chiefly of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico used for forage
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Specific to Arizona, galleta, sand dropseed, Indian rice grass and grama grass are better for growing during a drought than fescue, rye and Kentucky bluegrass, Hauser says. 
Washington Post, 7 July 2021 Other recent blooms include a native grass called needle grama, brittle creosote, desert senna, Acton encelia or brittlebush, and big galleta grass. Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2021 Some grass species in these habitats include red oat grass and Rhodes grass in tropical savannas, and purple needlegrass and galleta in temperate areas. Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 22 June 2019
Washington Post, 7 July 2021 Other recent blooms include a native grass called needle grama, brittle creosote, desert senna, Acton encelia or brittlebush, and big galleta grass. Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2021 Some grass species in these habitats include red oat grass and Rhodes grass in tropical savannas, and purple needlegrass and galleta in temperate areas. Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 22 June 2019 Word History
Etymology
borrowed from American Spanish (California, Arizona, New Mexico) galleta, guieta, of unknown origin
First Known Use
1872, in the meaning defined above