''Brachypodium'' is a genus of plants in the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

, widespread across much of Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America. The genus is classified in its own tribe Brachypodieae. Flimsy upright stems form

tussock Tussock may refer to: * Tussock grass, a group of species in the family Poaceae *Floating island * Lymantriinae, called tussock moths or tussocks See also * Hassock (disambiguation) Hassock may refer to: * Kneeler, a cushion or a piece of f ...

s. Flowers appear in compact spike-like racemes with 5-25 flowers on each short-stalked spikelet in summer. Leaves are flat or curved. According to an October 18, 2010 issue of "Nature Online" Laura Longo, an archeologist at University of Siena in Italy found evidence of ''Brachypodium'' and cattail (''

Typha ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in A ...

'' spp.) residues on prehistoric human grinding tools dated 28,000 years ago from Bilancino in central Italy. A related article authored by Anna Revedin, Biancamaria Aranguren, Roberto Becattini, Laura Longo, Emanuele Marconi, Marta Mariotti Lippi, Natalia Skakun, Andrey Sinitsyn, Elena Spiridonova, and Jiří Svoboda, was contemporaneously published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and clarifies that the grain residues resemble ''Brachypodium'', based on a comparison to two modern specimens: "Among these, the grains, which are slightly angular, with hardly visible centric, point-shaped hila and adequate dimensions (in the sample measuring 9–14 μm), appeared very similar to those of ''Brachypodium'' or related genera." ;SpeciesThe Plant List search for ''Brachypodium''
/ref> * ''

Brachypodium × ambrosii ''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 ...

'' - Spain * ''

Brachypodium × apollinaris ''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 ...

'' - Spain * ''

Brachypodium arbusculum ''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 ...

'' -

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

* ''

Brachypodium bolusii ''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 ...

'' -

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

, South Africa * ''

Brachypodium × cugnacii ''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 ...

'' - Denmark, Ireland, France, Czech Republic * ''

Brachypodium × diazii ''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 ...

'' - Spain * ''

Brachypodium distachyon ''Brachypodium distachyon'', commonly called purple false brome or stiff brome, is a grass species native to southern Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia east to India. It is related to the major cereal grain species wheat, barley, oats ...

'' - Mediterranean,

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

, southwest Asia from Portugal +

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

+ Ukraine + Tibet * '' Brachypodium firmifolium'' - Cyprus * ''

Brachypodium flexum ''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 spik ...

'' - Africa from Sierra Leone to

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

+ Madagascar * '' Brachypodium humbertianum'' - Madagascar * '' Brachypodium kawakamii'' - Taiwan * '' Brachypodium kotschyi'' - Turkey * ''

Brachypodium madagascariense ''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 spik ...

'' - Madagascar * ''

Brachypodium mexicanum ''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 spik ...

'' - Mexico, Central America, Venezuela,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Ecuador, Peru,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

* ''

Brachypodium perrieri ''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 spik ...

'' - Madagascar * ''

Brachypodium phoenicoides ''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 spik ...

'' - Mediterranean from Portugal + Morocco to Greece * ''

Brachypodium pinnatum ''Brachypodium pinnatum'', the heath false brome or tor-grass, is a species of grass with a widespread distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically grows in calcareous grassland, and reaches tall. The flowerhead is ...

'' - Africa + Eurasia from Ireland + Morocco to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

+ Yakutia * '' Brachypodium pringlei'' - Mexico (

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

, Tamaulipas,

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

) * ''

Brachypodium retusum ''Brachypodium retusum'', the Mediterranean false brome, is a species of perennial grass in the family Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses ...

'' - Mediterranean + nearby areas from Portugal + Morocco to Ethiopia + Caucasus * '' Brachypodium sylvaticum'' - Africa + Eurasia from Ireland + Morocco to Korea + New Guinea ;formerly included numerous species once considered members of ''Brachypodium'' but now considered better suited to other genera: '' Agropyron

Anthosachne ''Anthosachne'' is a genus of true grasses in the tribe Triticeae Triticeae is a botanical tribe within the subfamily Pooideae of grasses that includes genera with many domesticated species. Major crop genera found in this tribe include wheat ...

Arundinella

Brachyelytrum ''Brachyelytrum'' is a genus of North American and East Asian plants in the grass family, classified in its own tribe Brachyelytreae. Molecular phylogenetic study has indicated that ''Brachyelytrum'' is the earliest diverging lineage in the ...

Brachysteleum ''Ptychomitrium'' is a widespread genus of mosses found in many parts of the world. ;Species References {{Taxonbar, from=Q17285357 Grimmiales Moss genera ...

Catapodium Cutandia

Distichlis ''Distichlis'' is a genus of American and Australian plants in the grass family.Bell, H. L. & J. T. Columbus. 2008. Proposal for an expanded ''Distichlis'' (Poaceae, Chloridoideae): Support from molecular, morphological, and anatomical charact ...

Elymus Festuca

Festucopsis ''Festucopsis'' is a genus of European plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Festucopsis festucoides'' (Maire) Löve - Morocco, inclusion in the genus uncertain * '' Festucopsis serpentini'' (C.E.Hubb.) Melderis - Albania ; formerly includ ...

Lolium ''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera. They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' is ...

Micropyrum ''Micropyrum'' is a genus of European and North African plants in the grass family. ; Species * ''Micropyrum patens'' (Brot.) Rothm. ex Pilg. - Spain, Portugal * ''Micropyrum tenellum'' (L.) Link - Spain, Portugal including Madeira, France inclu ...

Poa ''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of 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 species), a ...

Ptychomitrium ''Ptychomitrium'' is a widespread genus of mosses found in many parts of the world. ;Species References {{Taxonbar, from=Q17285357 Grimmiales Moss genera ...

Rostraria ''Rostraria'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native primarily to Eurasia and North Africa with one species native to South America. Hairgrass is a common name. These grasses are sometimes included in genus ''Koeleria''. ; Species * ...

Triticum Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologica ...

Vulpia ''Vulpia'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to many countries around the world and naturalized in many of the nations to which it is not native. It is most common in temperate regions. ''Vulpia'' is a part of a group o ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileGrass Manual Treatment
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q157770, from2=Q4895094 Poaceae genera Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois