''Ischaemum'' is a taxonomically one of the most formidable genera in a huge tribe Andropogoneae belonging to 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 in tropical and semitropical regions in many countries. Many species are known commonly as murainagrass. In 2022
Shahid Nawaz
(an agrostologist, The Blatter Herbarium (BLAT)) described an extremely unusual species in the genus characterised by its

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

breeding system A mating system is a way in which a group is structured in relation to sexual behaviour. The precise meaning depends upon the context. With respect to animals, the term describes which males and females mating, mate under which circumstances. Reco ...

, it was named as ''

Ischaemum dioecum ''Ischaemum'' is a taxonomically one of the most formidable genera in a huge tribe Andropogoneae belonging to the grass family, widespread in tropical and semitropical regions in many countries. Many species are known commonly as murainagrass. ...

'
Landge
& R.D. Shinde. This species is strictly narrow

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to a couple of locations in Western Ghats of

Raigad district Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad fort, Raigad after the fort that ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The male and female plants are sexually separate individuals and occupy the similar ecological niches. This is the only dioecious species in the entire tribe Andropogoneae in the world.

Species

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>Bor, N. L. 1960. Grass. Burma, Ceylon, India & Pakistan i–767. Pergamon Press, Oxford

Formerly included

numerous species now regarded as 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 spec ...

Andropterum ''Andropterum'' is a genus of African plants in the grass family. There is only one known species, ''Andropterum stolzii'', native to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Burundi.Cope, T.A. (2002). Flora Zambesiaca 10(4): 1-190. R ...

Apocopis ''Apocopis'' is a genus of Asian plants in the grass family, widespread in China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia, including several species endemic to Myanmar (Burma). ; Species ; Formerly included see '' Dichanthium Lophopogon' ...

, Arundinella,

Bothriochloa ''Bothriochloa'' is a common and widespread genus of plants in the grass family native to many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. They are often called beardgrass, bluegrass or bluestem. The etymology of the genus name ''Bo ...

Coelorachis ''Coelorachis'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. ''Coelorhachis'' is treated by some sources as part of the genus '' Mnesithea'', so the following species can general ...

Crypsis In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an animal or a plant to avoid observation or detection by other animals. It may be a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation. Methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle and ...

Echinochloa ''Echinochloa'' is a very widespread genus of plants in the grass family and tribe Paniceae. Some of the species are known by the common names barnyard grass or cockspur grass. Some of the species within this genus are millets that are grown a ...

Eremochloa ''Eremochloa'' is a genus of Asian and Australian plants in the grass family. ; SpeciesPohl, R. W. 1994. 171. ''Eremochloa'' Buse. 6: 397. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma ...

Eulaliopsis ''Eulaliopsis'' is a genus of Asian plants in the grass family.Bor, N. L. 1960. Grass. Burma, Ceylon, India & Pakistan i–767. Pergamon Press, Oxford Species * ''Eulaliopsis binata'' (Retz.) C.E.Hubb. - Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hube ...

Kerriochloa ''Kerriochloa'' is a genus of Southeast Asian plants in the grass family. The only known species is ''Kerriochloa siamensis'', native to Thailand and Vietnam. The genus name of ''Kerriochloa'' is in honour of Arthur Francis George Kerr (1877– ...

Lasiurus ''Lasiurus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilio ...

Manisuris ''Manisuris'' is a genus of Indian plants in the grass family. The only known species is ''Manisuris myurus'', native to Tamil Nadu in southern India. Formerly included species Numerous species are now regarded as better suited in other genera, ...

Microstegium ''Microstegium'' is a genus of African, Asian, and Pacific Island plants in the sorghum tribe within the grass family. Browntop is a common name. ; Species ; formerly included see ''Ischaemum Schizachyrium ''Schizachyrium'' is a widespre ...

Phacelurus ''Phacelurus'' is a genus of African and Eurasian plants in the grass family. ; Species * '' Phacelurus cambogiensis'' (Balansa) Clayton - Laos, Cambodia * '' Phacelurus digitatus'' (Sm.) Griseb. - Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syr ...

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, south ...

Polytrias ''Polytrias'' is a genus of Asian, African, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family, commonly called Java grass Batiki bluegrass, Indian murainagrass, or toto grass. The only known species is ''Polytrias indica'', native to West Africa (f ...

Rhytachne ''Rhytachne'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. They grow principally in wet savannahs in Africa and the Americas. More specifically, they tend to prefer transitional zones between marshes and drier upland savannahs. In the Americas the g ...

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 * ''Rottboellia cochinchin ...

Sehima ''Sehima'' is a genus of mostly Asian and African plants in the grass family.Stenotaphrum ''Stenotaphrum'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Greek words στενός (''stenos''), meaning "narrow", and τάϕρος (''taphros''), meaning "trench." It refers to cavities in the raceme axi ...

, Thuarea,

Triplopogon ''Triplopogon'' is a genus of plants in the grass family.Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta. The only known species is ''Triplopog ...

Tripsacum ''Tripsacum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family native to the Western Hemisphere. Gamagrass is a common name for plants in this genus. Species formerly included see ''Anthephora Apluda Chionachne Coelorachis Elionurus Hackelochloa Hem ...

, Vossia''

References

Poaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Panicoideae-stub