''Oplismenus'' is a small genus of annual or perennial grasses, commonly known as basketgrass, found throughout the tropics,

subtropics The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...

, and in some cases, temperate regions of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, Africa, Asia, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The

systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...

of the genus are unclear, with over 100 described species, only 7 species are officially recognized as of 2016.

Accepted species

The following list includes all currently recognized species of the genus ''Oplismenus'' accepted by the Catalogue of Life and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of March 2016, sorted alphabetically. For each, binomial name is followed by author citation.

Description

The members of this genus are scrambling or trailing herbaceous grasses, both annual and perennial. The stems trail along the ground and can root at the nodes. The leaf blades are generally lance-shaped or acuminate to ovate and are covered in scattered hairs, and the leaf sheaths are hairy. Oplismenuspath

Ecology

These plants generally grow in shaded habitats such as the forest floor. Annual-type species will usually die off in cooler or drier months while the perennial species typically have much more tolerance. Some species have considerable

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

potential. Unlike some of their relatives, members of this genus use C3 photosynthesis.

Taxonomy

The French naturalist Palisot de Beauvois described the genus in August or September 1810 in his ''Flore d'Oware et de Benin''. At a later date, however, it was noted that Robert Brown had also defined the genus earlier the same year, as ''Orthopogon'', in his work '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae''. Nevertheless, because the name ''Oplismenus'' had been universally used for many years, it was ruled a ''nomen conservandum'' (

conserved name A conserved name or ''nomen conservandum'' (plural ''nomina conservanda'', abbreviated as ''nom. cons.'') is a scientific name that has specific nomenclatural protection. That is, the name is retained, even though it violates one or more rules whic ...

) in 1978. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''hoplismenos'' ("armed"), because the glumes have

awn AWN may stand for: * Awn Access to Justice Network in Gaza Strip, Legal Aid Network operate in Gaza Strip, Palestine * Animation World Network, an online organization for animators * Avant Window Navigator, a dock-like bar that tracks open windows ...

s. The number of species is unclear, with some disagreement among botanists. In Australia, ''Oplismenus aemulus'' and ''O. imbecillis'' are recognised as separate species by the Queensland and New South Wales Herbaria, but not by the National Herbarium, which classifies them as synonyms of ''O. hirtellus''. A multiple discriminant analysis published in 1978 of the characteristics used to define the species of ''Oplismenus'' worldwide found a high degree of overlap in Australia, indicating ''O. aemulus'' and ''O. imbecilis'' fell within the parameters of ''O. hirtellus'', as did the American taxon ''O. setarius''. The other American taxon, ''O. rariflorus'', fell within ''O. compositus''. The authors proposed the recognition of only five species: *'' Oplismenus burmannii'' - pantropical *'' Oplismenus thwaitesii'' - Sri Lanka (may be synonymous with ''O. burmannii'') *'' Oplismenus compositus'' - Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific *'' Oplismenus hirtellus'' - tropics, but replaced in India and Indochina by ''O. compositus'' *''

Oplismenus undulatifolius ''Oplismenus undulatifolius'', commonly known as wavyleaf basketgrass, is a species of perennial grass from the family Poaceae that is native to Eurasia, specifically Southern Europe through Southern Asia. Due to its invasive nature, it can b ...

'' - widespread The German botanist Ursula Scholz published a monograph in 1981, having studied the genus throughout the world and examined over five thousand specimens, including 61 type specimens. She recognized nine species and 18 infraspecific taxa. *Section ''Scabriseta'' **''O. affinis'' Schult. ***''O. affinis'' var. ''affinis'' ***''O. affinis'' var. ''humboldtianus'' **''O. baronii'' **'' O. burmannii'' ***''O. burmannii'' var. ''burmannii'' ***''O. burmannii'' var. ''lanatus'' ***''O. burmannii'' var. ''multisetus'' **'' O. flavicomus'' **''O. gracillimus'' **''O. humbertianus'' Starr 050415-0054 Oplismenus hirtellus

*Section ''Oplismenus'' **'' O. aemulus'' ***''O. aemulus'' var. ''aemulus'' ***''O. aemulus'' var. ''flaccidus'' ***''O. aemulus'' var. ''densiflorus'' **'' O. compositus'' ***''O. compositus'' var. ''compositus'' ***''O. compositus'' var. ''rariflorus'' ***''O. compositus'' var. ''sylvaticus'' **'' O. hirtellus'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''hirtellus'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''acuminatus'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''capensis'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''fasciculatus'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''imbecillis'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''japonicus'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''microphyllus'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''psilostachys'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''setarius'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''tsushimensis'' ***''O. hirtellus'' subsp. ''undulatifolius''

Uses

Variegated forms have been cultivated as house plants in Europe. Locally occurring species in Australia have been used for revegetation and reclamation in shady or wet areas, though some can be invasive. Some have been promoted as local native plants for wildlife gardens, and as lawn grass. They are edible to livestock.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2503609 Grasses of Africa Grasses of Asia Grasses of Oceania Grasses of North America Grasses of South America Poaceae genera Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois