Holcus

Genus of grasses

Soft-grass
Holcus mollis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Supertribe: Poodae
Tribe: Poeae
Subtribe: Holcinae
Genus: Holcus
L.
Type species
Holcus lanatus
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • Arthrochloa R.Br.
  • Ginannia Bubani
  • Homalachne (Benth. & Hook.f.) Kuntze
  • Homoiachne Pilg.
  • Notholcus Nash ex Hitchc.
  • Nothoholcus Nash
  • Sorgum Adans., rejected name

Holcus (soft-grass or velvetgrass) is a genus of African and Eurasian plants in the oat tribe within the grass family.[2][3][4]

Holcus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora lixella.

Species[1][5][6]
  • Holcus annuus - Mediterranean and nearby areas from Portugal + Morocco to Caucasus
  • Holcus azoricus - Azores - possibly a hybrid of H. lanatus and H. rigidus
  • Holcus caespitosus - Sierra Nevada in southern Spain
  • Holcus gayanus - Spain, Portugal
  • Holcus grandiflorus - Spain
  • Holcus × hybridus - France, Germany, British Isles -- H. lanatus × H. mollis
  • Holcus lanatus - Europe, Mediterranean + nearby areas from Iceland to Canary Isles to Caucasus; naturalized in North + South America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, various islands
  • Holcus mollis - Algeria, Tunisia, most of Europe; naturalized in Australia, new Zealand, scattered locales in North America
  • Holcus notarisii - Macedonia, Italy
  • Holcus rigidus - Azores
  • Holcus setiger - Cape Prov of South Africa
formerly included[1]

Several species now regarded as better suited to other genera; Andropogon Arrhenatherum Arundinella Bothriochloa Capillipedium Centotheca Chasmanthium Chrysopogon Deschampsia Heteropogon Hierochloe Pennisetum Pentameris Pseudoraphis Rostraria Sorghum Sporobolus Ventenata

References

  1. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 1047-1049 in Latin
  3. ^ Tropicos, Holcus L.
  4. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana genere Holcus
  5. ^ The Plant List search for Holcus
  6. ^ Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps
Taxon identifiers
Holcus
Authority control databases: National Edit this at Wikidata
  • Israel


  • v
  • t
  • e