''Polypogon'' is a nearly

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

genus of 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 ...

, commonly known beard grass or rabbitsfoot grass.

Description

''Polypogon'' species vary in appearance; some are erect, while others drape over the ground in waves. Many have soft, fluffy

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s that look like

rabbit's foot In some cultures, a rabbit's foot is carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck. This belief is held by people in a great number of places around the world, including Europe, Africa, Australia and North and South America. In variations of th ...

amulets. Some are

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

established outside their native ranges. Some of those are considered

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

and

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is harmful to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or lives ...

s, most notably ''

Polypogon monspeliensis ''Polypogon monspeliensis'', commonly known as annual beard-grass or annual rabbitsfoot grass, is a species of grass. It is native to the Old World, but it can be found today throughout the world as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious w ...

'', the annual beard grass. ; Species * ''

Polypogon × adscendens ''Polypogon'' is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known beard grass or rabbitsfoot grass. Description ''Polypogon'' species vary in appearance; some are erect, while others drape over the ground in waves. Ma ...

'' Guss. - Italy * ''

Polypogon australis ''Polypogon australis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Chilean beard grass and Chilean rabbitsfoot grass. It is native to Chile and Argentina. It is also known in parts of the western United States where it is an introduced speci ...

'' Brongn. -

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 ...

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 ...

incl

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands () are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe Island, R ...

* ''

Polypogon chilensis ''Polypogon'' is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known beard grass or rabbitsfoot grass. Description ''Polypogon'' species vary in appearance; some are erect, while others drape over the ground in waves. Ma ...

'' (Kunth) Pilg. -

incl

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

* ''

Polypogon elongatus ''Polypogon'' is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known beard grass or rabbitsfoot grass. Description ''Polypogon'' species vary in appearance; some are erect, while others drape over the ground in waves. Ma ...

'' Kunth - USA ( CA AZ CO TX), much of

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

* ''

Polypogon exasperatus ''Polypogon'' is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known beard grass or rabbitsfoot grass. Description ''Polypogon'' species vary in appearance; some are erect, while others drape over the ground in waves. Ma ...

'' (Trin.) Renvoize -

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, southern

* '' Polypogon fugax'' Nees ex Steud. - China, Japan,

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, central + southwestern

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 ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

* '' Polypogon griquensis'' (Stapf) Gibbs Russ. & Fish -

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

* '' Polypogon hissaricus'' (Roshev.) Bor -

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

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 ...

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# ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

* '' Polypogon imberbis'' (Phil.) Johow -

incl

, southern

* ''

Polypogon interruptus ''Polypogon interruptus'', commonly known as ditch rabbitsfoot grass or ditch beard grass, is a species of grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering ...

'' Kunth -

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 United States ( WA to CA + TX), Mexico,

south America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

* '' Polypogon ivanovae'' Tzvelev -

* '' Polypogon linearis'' Trin. -

* '' Polypogon maritimus'' Willd. - wetlands in Asia,

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

* '' Polypogon mollis'' (Thouars) C.E.Hubb. & E.W.Groves -

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 ...

* ''

'' (L.) Desf. -

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

; widely naturalized in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

* '' Polypogon nilgiricus'' Kabeer & V.J.Nair - India * '' Polypogon parvulus'' Roseng., B.R.Arrill. & Izag. -

* '' Polypogon pygmeus'' Tzvelev -

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 ...

* '' Polypogon schimperianus'' (Hochst. ex Steud.) Cope - from

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

* '' Polypogon tenellus'' R.Br. -

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

* '' Polypogon tenuis'' Brongn. -

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overs ...

St. Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope (), commonly referred to as the Cape Province () and colloquially as The Cape (), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Co ...

* '' Polypogon viridis'' (Gouan) Breistr. - central + southwestern

; Formerly included Numerous species now regarded as better suited to other genera: ''

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 ...

'', ''

Alopecurus ''Alopecurus'', or foxtail grass, is a common and widespread genus of plants in the grass family. It is common across temperate and subtropical parts of Eurasia, northern Africa, and the Americas, as well as naturalized in Australia and on vari ...

'', ''

Brachypodium ''Brachypodium'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, widespread across much of Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America. The genus is classified in its own tribe Brachypodieae. Flimsy upright stems form tussocks. Flowers appear in compact spi ...

'', '' Chaetium'', ''

Gymnopogon ''Gymnopogon'' (skeletongrass) is a genus of Americas, American and Southeast Asian plants in the Poaceae, grass family. ; Species * ''Gymnopogon ambiguus'' (Michx.) Britton, Stern & Poggenb. - southeastern + south-central United States (New Mex ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Pentameris ''Pentameris'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native primarily to Africa, with a few species in Yemen and on certain islands in the Indian Ocean. A significant number of species are endemic to South Africa.Linder, Hans Peter, et al. 2 ...

'', ''

Reynaudia ''Reynaudia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The only known species is ''Reynaudia filiformis'', native to the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and G ...

'', and '' Triniochloa''.

Phytoremediation

''Plodinec, J. (2003)
Instrumentation Development, Measurement and Performance Evaluation of Environmental Technologies.
Quarterly Technical Progress Report No. 40395R20. Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory. Mississippi State University. Starkville, MS. was investigated for its mercury-accumulating properties as a

phytoremediation Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as "the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronom ...

plant. A U.S. NIS—National Institutes of Health-funded study showed the plant to take up 110 times more mercury (HgS) than control plant species. This mercury

hyperaccumulator A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with high concentrations of metals, absorbing them through their roots, and concentrating extremely high levels of metals in their tissues. The metals are concentrated at levels th ...

sequesters the toxin in its roots in an insoluble form, reducing exposure to ecological receptors ''in situ'' and in erosion sediments.Expert Panel Report; Boeing SSFL site; pg. 20
. accessed 04.12.2012

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Polypogon''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Polypogon'' (rabbitsfoot grass)

''Polypogon''.
Grass Manual on the Web. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2701240 Poaceae genera Phytoremediation plants Grasses of Africa Grasses of Asia Grasses of Europe Grasses of North America Grasses of Oceania Grasses of South America