''Saccharum'' 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 tall

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

plants of the broomsedge tribe within 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 ...

. The genus is widespread across

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

, and warm

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions in

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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, and assorted oceanic islands. Several species are cultivated and naturalized in areas outside their native habitats.Welker, C. A. D. & H. M. Longhi-Wagner. 2012. The genera ''Eriochrysis'' P. Beauv., ''Imperata'' Cirillo and ''Saccharum'' L. (Poaceae - Andropogoneae - Saccharinae) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Botany 35(1): 87–105. ''Saccharum'' includes the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

s. They have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are generally rich in

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, and measure two to six m (6 to 19 ft) tall. All sugarcane species interbreed and the major commercial

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s are complex hybrids.

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: * '' Saccharum alopecuroidum'' (L.) Nutt. - southeastern USA * '' Saccharum angustifolium'' (Nees) Trin. - South America * '' Saccharum asperum'' (Nees) Steud. - South America * '' Saccharum baldwinii'' Spreng. - southeastern USA * '' Saccharum beccarii'' (Stapf) Cope - Sumatra * ''

Saccharum brevibarbe ''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 oceani ...

'' (Michx.) Pers. - southeastern USA * ''

Saccharum coarctatum ''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 oceani ...

'' (Fern.) R. Webster - southeastern USA * ''

Saccharum contortum ''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 oceani ...

'' (Baldwin ex Elliott) Nutt. - southeastern USA * ''

Saccharum fallax ''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 oceani ...

'' Balansa - China, Assam, southeast Asia * ''

Saccharum filifolium ''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 oceani ...

'' Steud. - Afghanistan, Himalayas * ''

Saccharum formosanum ''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 oceani ...

'' (Stapf) Ohwi - southern China * ''

Saccharum giganteum ''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 oceani ...

'' (Walt.) Pers. - southeastern USA, Cuba, Jamaica, Paraguay, Argentina * ''

Saccharum griffithii ''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 oceani ...

'' Munro ex Aitch. - from Yemen to Bangladesh * '' Saccharum intermedium'' Welker & Peichoto * '' Saccharum kajkaiense'' (Melderis) Melderis - Oman, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan * '' Saccharum longesetosum'' (Andersson) V.Naray. ex Bor - China, Himalayas, Indochina * '' Saccharum maximum'' (Brongn.) Trin. - Pacific Islands * '' Saccharum narenga'' (Nees ex Steud.) Hack. - China, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, Ethiopia * ''

Saccharum officinarum ''Saccharum officinarum'' is a large, strong-growing species of grass in the sugarcane genus. Its stout stalks are rich in sucrose, a disaccharide sugar which accumulates in the stalk internodes. It originated in New Guinea, and is now cultivate ...

'' L. - New Guinea; naturalized in many warm places * ''

Saccharum robustum ''Saccharum robustum'', the robust cane, is a species of plant found in New Guinea. Ecology ''Eumetopina flavipes'', the island sugarcane planthopper, a species of planthopper present throughout South East Asia which is a vector for the sugarca ...

'' Brandes & Jesw. ex Grassl - New Guinea * '' Saccharum rufipilum'' Steud. - China, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina * '' Saccharum sikkimense'' (Hook.f.) V.Naray. ex Bor - eastern Himalayas * ''Saccharum'' × ''sinense'' Roxb. – China * ''

Saccharum spontaneum ''Saccharum spontaneum'' (wild sugarcane, kans grass) is a grass native throughout much of tropical and subtropical Asia, northern Australia, and eastern and northern Africa. It is a perennial grass, growing up to three meters in height, with s ...

'' L. - Asia, Africa, Sicily, Papuasia * '' Saccharum stewartii'' Rajesw., R.R.Rao & Arti Garg - western Himalayas * '' Saccharum velutinum'' (Holttum) Cope - Peninsular Malaysia * '' Saccharum villosum'' Steud. - South America, Mesoamerica * '' Saccharum wardii'' (Bor) Bor ex Cope - Assam, Bhutan, Myanmar * '' Saccharum williamsii'' (Bor) Bor ex Cope - Nepal Placed in ''

Lasiorhachis ''Lasiorhachis'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Madagascar. The taxon was first described as a subdivision of ''Andropogon'' by Eduard Hackel in 1889 and raised to a genus by Otto Stapf in 1927. Species , Plants ...

'' by Plants of the World Online : * ''Saccharum hildebrandtii'' (Hack.) Clayton → ''

Lasiorhachis hildebrandtii ''Lasiorhachis'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Madagascar. The taxon was first described as a subdivision of ''Andropogon'' by Eduard Hackel in 1889 and raised to a genus by Otto Stapf in 1927. Species , Plants ...

'' * ''Saccharum perrieri'' (A.Camus) Clayton. → ''

Lasiorhachis perrieri ''Lasiorhachis'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Madagascar. The taxon was first described as a subdivision of ''Andropogon'' by Eduard Hackel in 1889 and raised to a genus by Otto Stapf in 1927. Species , Plants ...

'' * ''Saccharum viguieri'' (A.Camus) Clayton → ''

Lasiorhachis viguieri ''Lasiorhachis'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Madagascar. The taxon was first described as a subdivision of '' Andropogon'' by Eduard Hackel in 1889 and raised to a genus by Otto Stapf in 1927. Species , Plan ...

'' Placed in '' Tripidium'' by Plants of the World Online : * ''Saccharum arundinaceum'' Retz. - East + South + Southeast Asia; New Guinea → '' Tripidium arundinaceum'' * ''Saccharum bengalense'' Retz. - India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan → '' Tripidium bengalense'' * ''Saccharum kanashiroi'' (Ohwi) Ohwi - Ryukyu Islands → '' Tripidium kanashiroi'' * ''Saccharum procerum'' Roxb. - China, Himalayas, Indochina → '' Tripidium procerum'' * ''Saccharum ravennae'' (L.) L. - Europe, Asia, Africa → '' Tripidium ravennae'' * ''Saccharum strictum'' (Host) Spreng. - from Italy to Iran → '' Tripidium strictum''

Formerly included

Numerous species are now considered better suited in other genera: ''

Andropogon ''Andropogon'' (common names: beard grass, bluestem grass, broomsedge) is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to much of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as Southern Europe and various oceanic islands. Over 100 speci ...

Chloris In Greek mythology, the name Chloris (; Greek Χλωρίς ''Chlōrís'', from χλωρός ''chlōrós'', meaning "greenish-yellow", "pale green", "pale", "pallid", or "fresh") appears in a variety of contexts. Some clearly refer to different ch ...

Digitaria ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and warm temperate regions but can occur in tropical, subtropical, and cooler temperate regions as well. Common names include crabgrass, finger-grass, and fonio. They ar ...

Eriochrysis ''Eriochrysis'' is a genus of African and Neotropical plants in the Poaceae, grass family. ; Species * ''Eriochrysis brachypogon'' (Stapf) Stapf - tropical + southern Africa - from Senegal to Eswatini * ''Eriochrysis cayennensis'' P.Beauv. - tro ...

, Eulalia,

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 ...

Hemarthria ''Hemarthria'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the grass family. They occur in the tropical and subtropical Old World, especially in China and Southeast Asia, with some species in Africa, Australia, and Southern Europe.

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 ...

Lophopogon ''Lophopogon'' is a ditypic genus endemic to India, consisting of two well-known species '' Lophopogon tridentatus'' (Roxb.) Hackel and '' Lophopogon kingii'' Hook f. belonging to the tribe Andropogoneae in the grass family. '' Lophopogon pras ...

Melinis ''Melinis'' is a genus of African and Arabian plants in the Poaceae, grass family. The generic name is derived from the Greek ''meline'' meaning "millet". Species 23 species are currently accepted: ; formerly included numerous species now reg ...

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 ...

Panicum ''Panicum'' (panicgrass) is a large genus of about 250 species of Poaceae, grasses native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone. They are often large, Annual plant, annual or P ...

Pappophorum ''Pappophorum'' is a genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family, native to the Western Hemisphere. Members of the genus are commonly known as pappusgrass. ; SpeciesDavidse, G. 1994. 73. ''Pappophorum'' Schreber. 6: 257. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa ...

Paspalum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall per ...

, Perotis,

Pogonatherum ''Pogonatherum'' is a genus of Asian and oceanic island plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Pogonatherum biaristatum'' S.L.Chen & G.Y.Sheng - Hainan * '' Pogonatherum crinitum'' (Thunb.) Kunth - Indian Subcontinent, China, Japan, southea ...

, Pseudopogonatherum,

Spodiopogon ''Spodiopogon'' is a genus of Asian plants in the Poaceae, grass family. One species, ''Spodiopogon formosanus'', is grown as a cultivated millet exclusively in Taiwan. Species ; Species ; formerly included References

Spodiopogon ...

, and

Tricholaena ''Tricholaena'' is a genus of Asian, African, and Italian plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Tricholaena capensis'' (Licht. ex Roem. & Schult.) Nees - Free State, Namibia, Cape Province * '' Tricholaena monachne'' (Trin.) Stapf & C.E.Hu ...

''.

References

External links

{{Authority control Poaceae genera Andropogoneae

Species

Formerly included

See also

References

External links