''Ampelodesmos'' is a genus of

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 north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

plants in the grass family, which is known by the common names stramma, Mauritania grass, rope grass, and dis(s) grass. It is classified in its own tribe Ampelodesmeae within the grass subfamily

Pooideae The Pooideae are the largest subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, with about 4,000 species in 15 tribes and roughly 200 genera. They include some major cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and many lawn and pasture grasses. They are often ...

. The genus probably originated through ancient

hybrid speciation Hybrid speciation is a form of speciation where hybridization between two different species leads to a new species, reproductively isolated from the parent species. Previously, reproductive isolation between two species and their parents was thou ...

, as a cross between parents from tribes

Stipeae The Stipeae are a tribe of grasses within the subfamily Pooidae, with up to 600 described species. Description The defining morphological features of the Stipeae include single-flowered spikelets lacking a rachilla extension, and the lemmas (th ...

and Phaenospermateae. ''Ampelodesmos mauritanicus'' is a large clumping perennial

bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...

, which is native to the

region. It has been introduced outside its native range and is cultivated as an ornamental

grass 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 a ...

. Its nodding flower panicles can be nearly two feet long. In its native area it is used as a fiber for making mats, brooms, and twine. The plant can become an Invasive species in non-native

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

beyond the Mediterranean Basin. Its nodding flower panicles can be nearly two feet long. In its native area it is used as a fiber for making mats, brooms, and twine. The leaves of this grass are really quite savage and can inflict small cuts and cause irritating red raised areas on unwary hikers. The genus name comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''ampelos'', "vine", and ''desmos'', "bond", from its former use as a string to tie up

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

vines. ; Species * '' Ampelodesmos ampelodesmon'' (Cirillo) Kerguélen -

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Tropicos, ''Arundo ampelodesmon'' Cirillo
/ref> * '' Ampelodesmos mauritanicus'' (Poir.) T.Durand & Schinz -

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

incl Balearic Is,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

incl Corsica,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

incl

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

; formerly included see ''

Cortaderia ''Cortaderia'' is a genus of South American and Central American plants in the Poaceae grass family. Etymology The common name pampas grass, though strictly referring to ''C. selloana'', is frequently applied to all species in the genus (and so ...

'' * ''Ampelodesmos australis -

Cortaderia pilosa ''Cortaderia'' is a genus of South American and Central American plants in the Poaceae grass family. Etymology The common name pampas grass, though strictly referring to ''C. selloana'', is frequently applied to all species in the genus (and so ...

References

External links

Calphotos, University of California @ Berkeley, Photo gallery
* Matorral shrubland Bunchgrasses of Europe Fiber plants Poaceae genera Pooideae {{Pooideae-stub