''Arundo'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of stout, perennial plants in the
grass family
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...
.
Description
''Arundo'' is native to southern
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
,
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
, and much of temperate
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
as far east as
Japan. They grow to 3–6 m tall, occasionally to 10 m, with leaves 30–60 cm long and 3–6 cm broad.
; Species
[The Plant List search for Arundo]
/ref>
* '' Arundo collina'' Ten.
* ''Arundo donax
''Arundo donax'' is a tall perennial cane. It is one of several so-called reed species. It has several common names including giant cane, elephant grass, carrizo, arundo, Spanish cane, Colorado river reed, wild cane, and giant reed. ''Arundo'' ...
'' L. – Giant cane, Spanish cane (south and east Mediterranean, to India; naturalised
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
in many additional areas and often invasive)
* '' Arundo formosana'' Hack. – Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, Philippines
* '' Arundo mediterranea'' Danin – Mediterranean
* '' Arundo micrantha'' Lam. – Mediterranean
* '' Arundo plinii'' Turra – Pliny's reed – Greece, Italy, Albania, Croatia
There are over 200 species once considered part of ''Arundo'' but now regarded as better suited to other genera:[ '']Achnatherum
''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain.
' ...
'', ''Agrostis
''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a GMO creeping bent grass.
Species
* ''Agrostis aequivalvi'' (A ...
'', '' Ammophila'', '' Ampelodesmos'', ''Arthrostylidium
''Arthrostylidium'' is a Neotropical genus of climbing bamboo in the grass family. the species are native to Central America, the West Indies, northern South America, and southern Mexico.
;Species
;Formerly included
see '' Ampelocalamus Aulone ...
'', ''Arundinaria
''Arundinaria'' is a genus of bamboo in the grass family the members of which are referred to generally as cane. ''Arundinaria'' is the only bamboo native to south and southeastern North America, with a native range from Maryland south to Florid ...
'', ''Austroderia
''Austroderia'' is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe. '', '' Austrofestuca'', ''Bambusa
''Bambusa'' is a large genus of clumping bamboos. Most species of ''Bambusa'' are rather large, with numerous branches emerging from the nodes, and one or two much larger than the rest. The branches can be as long as 11 m (35 ft).
The ...
'', ''Calamagrostis
''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' genera ...
'', '' Calammophila'', ''Calamovilfa
''Calamovilfa'' is a genus of North American plants in the Poaceae, grass family native to the United States and Canada.
; Species
* ''Calamovilfa arcuata'' K.E.Rogers - Oklahoma, OK Alabama, AL Arkansas, AR Tennessee, TN Georgia (U.S. state), ...
'', ''Chionochloa
''Chionochloa'' is a genus of tussock grass in the family Poaceae, found primarily in New Zealand with one known species in New Guinea and another on Lord Howe Island (part of Australia). Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass.
Most ...
'', ''Chusquea
''Chusquea'' is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the grass family. Most of them are native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina.
They are sometimes referred to as South American mountain bamboos. Unl ...
'', '' Cinna'', ''Cortaderia
''Cortaderia'' is a genus of South American and Central American plants in the Poaceae grass family.
Etymology
The common name pampas grass, though strictly referring to ''C. selloana'', is frequently applied to all species in the genus (and som ...
'', ''Dendrocalamus
''Dendrocalamus'' is a tropical Asian genus of giant clumping bamboos in the grass family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia.
'' Dendrocalamus giganteus'' is one of the tallest of bamboos, capable of reaching hei ...
'', ''Deschampsia
''Deschampsia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. The genus is widespread across many countries. '', '' Dupontia'', '' Gastridium'', ''Gigantochloa
''Gigantochloa'' is a tropical Asian and Papuasian genus of giant clumping bamboos in the grass family. It is found in southern China, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and New Guinea.
;Species
;Formerly included
see ''Bambusa Dendroca ...
'', '' Graphephorum'', ''Gynerium
''Gynerium'' is a monotypic genus of Neotropical plants in the grass family, native to Mexico and Colombia, Central America, South America, and the West Indies. It is classified in its own tribe Gynerieae.
The sole species in the genus is ''G ...
'', ''Imperata
''Imperata'' is a small but widespread genus of tropical and subtropical grasses, commonly known as satintails.
Satintail grass species are perennial rhizomatous herbs with solid, erect stems and silky inflorescences. The best known species is ...
'', ''Indocalamus
''Indocalamus'' is a genus of about 35 species of flowering plants in the grass family ( Poaceae), native to China, Vietnam and Japan. They are quite small evergreen bamboos normally up to in height, initially forming clumps and then spreading ...
'', ''Melica
''Melica'' is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.
Melic grasses are clumping to short-rhizomatous grasses. They have flowering culms up to tall bearing ...
'', ''Miscanthus
''Miscanthus'', or silvergrass, is a genus of African, Eurasian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family, Poaceae.
; Species
* ''Miscanthus changii'' Y.N.Lee – Korea
* ''Miscanthus depauperatus'' Merr. – the Philippines
* ''Miscanthus ...
'', ''Molinia
''Molinia'', or moor grass, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the grass family, native to damp moorland in Eurasia and northern Africa. They are both herbaceous perennial grasses.
The genus is named after Juan Ignacio Molina, a ...
'', ''Muhlenbergia
''Muhlenbergia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family.
The genus is named in honor of the German-American amateur botanist Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815). Many of the species are known by the common name muhly.
The greatest ...
'', '' Neyraudia'', ''Phalaris
Phalaris ( el, Φάλαρις) was the tyrant of Akragas (now Agrigento) in Sicily, from approximately 570 to 554 BC.
History
Phalaris was renowned for his excessive cruelty. Among his alleged atrocities is cannibalism: he was said to have e ...
'', ''Phragmites
''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.
Taxonomy
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in Lon ...
'', ''Poa
''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass (mainly in Europe and Asia), bluegrass (mainly in North America), tussock (some New Zealand species), a ...
'', '' Psammochloa'', ''Rytidosperma
''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the gr ...
'', ''Saccharum
''Saccharum'' is a genus of tall perennial plants of the broomsedge tribe within the grass family.
The genus is widespread across tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions in Africa, Eurasia, Australia, the Americas, and assorted ocea ...
'', ''Schizostachyum
''Schizostachyum'' is a tall or shrub-like tropical genus of bamboo. They are natives mostly of tropical Asia and Papuasia, with a few species in Madagascar and on certain islands in the Pacific. A few have become naturalized in other t ...
'', ''Scolochloa
''Scolochloa'' is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae / Gramineae, now containing a single species, ''Scolochloa festucacea''. Common rivergrass is a common name for the species. ''Scolochloa festucacea'' grows in Europe, temperate Asia, an ...
'', ''Stipa
''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species fo ...
'', ''Thysanolaena
''Thysanolaena'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, the only genus in the tribe Thysanolaeneae. Its only recognized species is ''Thysanolaena latifolia'' (formerly ''Thysanolaena maxima''), native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Gu ...
'', '' Trisetaria''.
See also
* List of Poaceae genera
The true grasses ( Poaceae) are one of the largest plant families, with around 12,000 species and roughly 800 genera. They contain, among others, the cereal crop species and other plants of economic importance, such as the bamboos, and several i ...
References
Further reading
* Douce, R. 1994. The biological pollution of ''Arundo donax'' in river estuaries and beaches. Pp. 11–13 In: Jackson, N.E. et al. ''Arundo donax'' workshop.
* Dudley, T. and B. Collins. 1995. Biological invasions in California wetlands: the impacts and control of non-indigenous species in natural areas. Pacific Institute for SIDES, Oakland, CA.
* Frandsen,. P. 1994. Team Arundo: a model for inter-agency cooperation. Pp. 35–40 In: Jackson, N. et al. ''Arundo donax'' workshop.
* Frandsen, P. and N. Jackson. 1994. The impact of ''Arundo donax'' on flood control and endangered species. Pp. 13–16 In: Jackson, N. et al. Arundo donax workshop.
* Hoshovsky, M. 1988. Element stewardship abstract: ''Arundo donax''. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, CA.
* Iverson, M. Pp19–26 In: Jackson, N.E. et al. ''Arundo donax'' workshop.
* Scott, G.D. 1994. Fire threat from ''Arundo donax''. Pp. 17–18 In: Jackson, N. et al. ''Arundo donax'' workshop.
External links
Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Arundo''
Erowid Arundo Donax vault
{{Taxonbar, from=Q165263
Arundinoideae
Energy crops
Poaceae genera