''Deschampsia'' is a

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 plants in the grass 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, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. The genus is widespread across many countries.Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie 91
descriptions in Latin, etymology explained in French The genus is named for French physician and naturalist Louis Auguste Deschamps (1765–1842). ''Deschampsia'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some species of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

, including antler moth, the clay, clouded-bordered brindle, common wainscot, dark arches, dusky brocade, shoulder-striped wainscot, smoky wainscot and

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...

. ''Deschampsia'' sometimes grow in boggy acidic formations, an example of which is the

Portlethen Moss The Portlethen Moss is an acidic bog nature reserve located to the west of the town of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Like other Bog, mosses, this wetland area supports a variety of plant and animal species, even though it has been subjec ...

, Scotland. '' Deschampsia antarctica'' is the world's most southern monocot, and one of only two flowering plants of Antarctica. Some species, such as ''D. cespitosa'', are grown as ornamental garden plants.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: * '' Deschampsia airiformis'' (Steud.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex B.D.Jacks. –

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

* '' Deschampsia ampliflora'' (Tovar) Romasch., P.M.Peterson, Soreng & Barberá * '' Deschampsia amurensis'' Prob. * '' Deschampsia angusta'' Stapf & C.E.Hubb. –

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

* '' Deschampsia antarctica'' E.Desv. –

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

South Georgia South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...

Crozet Islands The Crozet Islands (; or, officially, ''Archipel Crozet'') are a sub-Antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. History ...

, Heard-McDonald Islands,

Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the subantarctic, sub-Antarctic region. They are among the Extremes on Earth#Remoteness, most i ...

South Sandwich Islands The South Sandwich Islands () are a chain of uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. They are administered as part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The chain lies in the sub-A ...

* '' Deschampsia argentea'' Lowe –

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

* '' Deschampsia aurea'' (Munro ex Wedd.) Saarela * '' Deschampsia baicalensis'' Tzvelev –

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

* '' Deschampsia barkalovii'' Prob. & Tzvelev * '' Deschampsia berteroniana'' (Kunth) F.Meigen –

* '' Deschampsia bolanderi'' (Thurb.) Saarela, syn. ''Scribneria bolanderi'' * '' Deschampsia boyacensis'' (Swallen & García-Barr.) Romasch., P.M.Peterson, Soreng & Barberá * '' Deschampsia cespitosa'' (L.) P.Beauv. (including ''Deschampsia bottnica'' (Wahlenb.) Trin.) –

Kvarken Archipelago Kvarken ( (as opposed to South Kvarken); ) is the narrow region of the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay (the inner part of the gulf) from the Bothnian Sea. The distance from the Sweden, Swedish mainland to the Mainland Finland, Finnish ...

(part of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

) * '' Deschampsia chapmanii'' Petrie – New Zealand incl

Antipodes In geography, the antipode () of any spot on Earth is the point on Earth's surface diametrically opposite to it. A pair of points ''antipodal'' () to each other are situated such that a straight line connecting the two would pass through Ea ...

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is a subantarctic island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. It has been governed as a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1880. It became a Protected areas of Tasmania, Tasmania ...

s * '' Deschampsia christophersenii'' C.E.Hubb. –

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcano, volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascensi ...

* '' Deschampsia chrysantha'' (J.Presl) Saarela * '' Deschampsia chrysostachya'' (É.Desv.) Romasch., P.M.Peterson, Soreng & Barberá * '' Deschampsia cordillerarum'' Hauman –

* '' Deschampsia danthonioides'' (Trin.) Munro – Annual hairgrass –

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, western USA, Mexico * '' Deschampsia deminutospicatae'' Charit. * '' Deschampsia domingensis'' Hitchc. & Ekman * '' Deschampsia elongata'' (Hook.) Munro –

, United States including

, Canada, Mexico * '' Deschampsia eminens'' (J.Presl) Saarela * '' Deschampsia gallaecica'' (Cervi & Romo) Cires, Cuesta, Nava, García-Suárez, Fern.-Carv. & Fern.Priet * '' Deschampsia gayana'' (Steud.) Romasch., P.M.Peterson, Soreng & Barberá * '' Deschampsia gracillima'' Kirk New Zealand including

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

* '' Deschampsia gulariantzii'' Prob. & Tzvelev * '' Deschampsia hackelii'' (Lillo ex Stuck.) Saarela * '' Deschampsia hultenii'' Prob., Tzvelev & Chiapella * '' Deschampsia ircutica'' Tzvelev & Prob. * '' Deschampsia kingii'' (Hook.f.) É.Desv. –

* '' Deschampsia klossii'' Ridl. –

Lesser Sunda Islands The Lesser Sunda Islands (, , ), now known as Nusa Tenggara Islands (, or "Southeast Islands"), are an archipelago in the Indonesian archipelago. Most of the Lesser Sunda Islands are located within the Wallacea region, except for the Bali pro ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

* '' Deschampsia koelerioides'' Regel –

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, China,

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

* '' Deschampsia komandorensis'' Prob. * '' Deschampsia laguriensis'' Prob. & Tzvelev * '' Deschampsia laxa'' Phil. –

* '' Deschampsia leskovii'' Tzvelev – northern

European Russia European Russia is the western and most populated part of the Russia, Russian Federation. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the country's sparsely populated and vastly larger eastern part, Siberia, which is situated in Asia ...

* '' Deschampsia liebmanniana'' (E.Fourn.) Hitchc. – Mexico * '' Deschampsia looseriana'' Parodi –

* '' Deschampsia magadanica'' Tzvelev & Prob. * '' Deschampsia media'' (Gouan) Roem. & Schult. – central and southern Europe,

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

* '' Deschampsia mejlandii'' C.E.Hubb. –

* '' Deschampsia mendocina'' Parodi –

* '' Deschampsia mildbraedii'' Pilg. –

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

* '' Deschampsia nubigena'' Hillebr. –

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

* '' Deschampsia ovata'' (J.Presl) Saarela * '' Deschampsia parvula'' (Hook.f.) É.Desv. –

, Anvers Island * '' Deschampsia patula'' (Phil.) Skottsb. –

* '' Deschampsia podophora'' (Pilg.) Saarela * '' Deschampsia pseudokoelerioides'' Prob. & Tzvelev * '' Deschampsia pusilla'' Petrie – New Zealand South Island * '' Deschampsia robusta'' C.E.Hubb. –

* '' Deschampsia sajanensis'' Prob. & Tzvelev * '' Deschampsia santamartensis'' Sylvester & Soreng * '' Deschampsia seledetzii'' Tzvelev & Prob. * '' Deschampsia setacea'' (Huds.) Hack. – northern and western Europe *'' Deschampsia shiretokoensis'' Tzvelev & Prob. * '' Deschampsia shumshuensis'' Prob. & Tzvelev * '' Deschampsia sichotensis'' Prob., Tzvelev & Chiapella * '' Deschampsia susumanica'' Prob. & Chiapella * '' Deschampsia tenella'' Petrie – New Zealand * '' Deschampsia teretifolia'' (Laegaard) Romasch., P.M.Peterson, Soreng & Barberá * '' Deschampsia venustula'' Parodi –

* '' Deschampsia wacei'' C.E.Hubb.-

Formerly included

''Deschampsia'' formerly included many species now placed in other genera, such as '' Aira'', '' Antinoria'', '' Bromus'', '' Calamagrostis'', '' Centropodia'', '' Colpodium'', '' Dissanthelium'', '' Holcus'', '' Periballia'', '' Peyritschia'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Trisetum'' and '' Vahlodea''. * '' Deschampsia flexuosa'' (L.) Trin, syn. of '' Avenella flexuosa'' (L.) Drejer – Eurasia, alpine areas in Africa; northern North America, southern South America,

References

{{Authority control Poaceae genera Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois