genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of stout, perennial plants in the
grass family
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...
.
Description
''Arundo'' is native to southern
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
,
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
, and much of temperate
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
as far east as
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
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'' a ...
'' 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-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
in many additional areas and often invasive)
* '' Arundo formosana'' Hack. – Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, Philippines
* '' Arundo mediterranea'' Danin – Mediterranean
* '' Arundo micrantha'' Lam. – Mediterranean
* ''
Arundo plinii
''Arundo plinii'' is a species of herb in the family Poaceae
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, ...
''
Turra
Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is derive ...
– 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 flowering plants in the grass family, Poaceae. It includes 20 species of needlegrass native to temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''St ...
'', ''
Agrostis
''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a Genetically modified organis ...
Ampelodesmos
''Ampelodesmos'' is a genus of Mediterranean plants in the grass family, which is known by the common names stramma, Mauritania grass, rope grass, and dis(s) grass. It is classified in its own tribe Ampelodesmeae within the grass subfamily Pooid ...
'', ''
Arthrostylidium
''Arthrostylidium'' is a Neotropical genus of climbing bamboo in the Poaceae, grass family. the species are native to Central America, the West Indies, northern South America, and southern Mexico.
Species
29 species are accepted.
Formerly incl ...
'', ''
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 North America, with a native range from Maryland south to Florida and west to the south ...
'', ''
Austroderia
''Austroderia'' is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe (from Māori).
'', ''
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).
They ...
'', ''
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'' general ...
Calamovilfa
''Calamovilfa'' is a genus of North American plants in the grass family native to the United States and Canada.
; Species
* '' Calamovilfa arcuata'' K.E.Rogers - OK AL AR TN GA KY
* '' Calamovilfa brevipilis'' (Torr.) Scribn. - NJ NC S ...
'', ''
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
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Austr ...
'', ''
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 ...
Cortaderia
''Cortaderia'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae or grass family of plants.
All current species included in the ''Cortaderia'' genus are native to South and Central America, ranging from the Patagonia region of southern Chile and Argentina, ...
'', ''
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
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern ...
'', ''
Deschampsia
''Deschampsia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. The genus is widespread across many countries.Dupontia'', ''
Gastridium
''Gastridium'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Species of the genus are found in Africa and Eurasia. These grasses are sometimes called nit grass.
; Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Gastridium'':
* '' Gastrid ...
Graphephorum
''Graphephorum'' is a genus of North American plants in the Poaceae, grass family.
Species
Seven species are currently accepted.
*''Graphephorum ambiguum'' – southern Chile and southern Argentina
*''Graphephorum canescens'' – western Can ...
'', ''
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 ''Gy ...
'', ''
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 central and southern China, Hainan, Vietnam, and Laos. They are quite small evergreen bamboos normally up to in height, initially forming ...
'', ''
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. The name is derived from the Greek words "''miskos"'', meaning "stem", and "''anthos"'', meaning "flower", in reference ...
'', ''
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 19 ...
'', ''
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 ...
Phalaris
Phalaris () was the tyrant of Akragas (now Agrigento) in Sicily in Magna Graecia, 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 eaten ...
'', ''
Phragmites
''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial plant, perennial reed (plant), reed Poaceae, grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.
Taxonomy
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Famili ...
'', ''
Poa
''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of Poaceae, 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 spe ...
Rytidosperma
''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile, Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii, Easter Island). Seve ...
'', ''
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 ocean ...
'', ''
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 tropical ...
'', ''
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 141 species of large Perennial plant, perennial hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, w ...
'', ''
Thysanolaena
''Thysanolaena'' is a monotypic genus of the grass family, in the tribe Thysanolaeneae. Its only recognized species is ''Thysanolaena latifolia'' (formerly ''Thysanolaena maxima''), native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Guangdong, Guangx ...
List of Poaceae genera
Poaceae, also known as the true grasses, is the fourth largest plant family in the world 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 b ...