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 ( ), 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 name is derived from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States, members of the genus are commonly known as bluestems.
Species
Species in the genus include:
* '' Schizachyrium beckii'' Killeen - Bolivia
* ''
Schizachyrium bemarivense
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' A.Camus - Madagascar
* '' Schizachyrium brevifolium'' (Sw.) Nees ex Buse – Serillo dulce - widespread in tropics
* '' Schizachyrium cirratum'' (Hack.) Wooton & Standl. - USA (AZ NM TX), Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador
* '' Schizachyrium claudopus'' (Chiov.) Chiov - Tanzania, Zaïre, Zambia
* '' Schizachyrium condensatum'' (Kunth) Nees – Colombian bluestem - West Indies, Latin America from central Mexico to Uruguay
* ''
Schizachyrium crinizonatum
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
Schizachyrium delicatum
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' Stapf - tropical Africa
* '' Schizachyrium djalonicum'' Jacq.-Fél. - Guinea to Sierra Leone
* '' Schizachyrium dolosum'' S.T.Blake - Northern Territory, Queensland
* '' Schizachyrium exile'' (Hochst.) Pilg. - tropical + southern Africa; Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar
* ''
Schizachyrium fragile
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' (R.Br.) A.Camus - southern China, Vietnam, Java, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Micronesia
* ''
Schizachyrium gaumeri
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' Nash - Yucatán Peninsula, Chiapas
* ''
Schizachyrium gracile
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
Schizachyrium gracilipes
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
Schizachyrium gresicola
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' Jacq.-Fél - Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria
* ''
Schizachyrium hatschbachii
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' Peichoto - Brazil, northern Argentina
* ''
Schizachyrium impressum
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' (Hack.) A.Camus - Jammu & Kashmir
* ''
Schizachyrium jeffreysii
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
Schizachyrium kwiluense
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
'' Vanderyst ex Robyns - Zaïre, Congo Republic
* ''
Schizachyrium lomaense
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United State ...
'' A.Camus - Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast
* ''
Schizachyrium lopollense
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
Schizachyrium multinervosum
''Schizachyrium'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "to split," and (), meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas.
In the United States ...
Schizachyrium scoparium
''Schizachyrium scoparium'', commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a species of North American prairie grass native to most of the contiguous United States (except California, Nevada, and Oregon) as well as a small area north of t ...
'' (Michx.) Nash – Little bluestem - widespread in Canada + USA + Mexico
* '' Schizachyrium semitectum'' (Swallen) Reeder - Mexico, Guatemala
* '' Schizachyrium spicatum'' (Spreng.) Herter - Uruguay, Paraguay, northern Argentina, southern Brazil
* '' Schizachyrium stoloniferum'' Nash - USA (MS AL GA FL NC SC)
* '' Schizachyrium sulcatum'' (Ekman) S.T.Blake - Colombia, Bolivia, western Brazil
* ''
Schizachyrium tenerum
''Schizachyrium tenerum'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name slender little bluestem, or slender bluestem. It is native to the Americas, where it occurs in North, Central, and South America.Schizachyrium thollonii'' (Franch.) Stapf - tropical Africa
* '' Schizachyrium urceolatum'' (Hack.) Stapf - tropical Africa
* '' Schizachyrium yangambiense'' Germ. - Zaïre
Some species formerly included in ''Schizachyrum'' are now considered better suited to 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 ...
'', ''
Dichanthium
''Dichanthium'', known commonly as bluestem or bluegrass, is a genus of African, Asian, and Australian plants in the grass family.
Some species have become naturalized in the Americas and on various oceanic islands.Bhat, V., et alChapter 6: ''Di ...
'', ''
Rottboellia
''Rottboellia'' (commonly called itch grass) is a genus of African, Asian, and Australian plants in the grass family.
The genus was named in honour of Danish botanist Christen Friis Rottbøll (1727-1797).
Species
24 species are accepted.
* '' R ...