''Melica'' is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.Herbarium.usu.edu: Genus ''Melica'' treatment
/ref> Melic grasses are clumping to short- rhizomatous grasses. They have flowering culms up to tall bearing spikelets of papery flowers. The spikelets have between one and seven fertile flowers with a rudimentary structure at the distal end composed of one to four sterile florets. Some species of melic have

corm Corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen, underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ''c ...

s, lending them the name oniongrass.Jepson Manual eFlora: ''Melica'' links
/ref> The genus is most diverse in South America and temperate Asia. Eight species are endemic to China. In North America, most species occur west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, with exceptions being '' Melica mutica'' and ''M. nitens'' which occur throughout much of the southeast and lower Midwest respectively.

Species

Species and hybrids include: Calflora Database: ''Melica''
/ref> * '' Melica altissima'' L. – Siberian melic grass * '' Melica amethystina'' Pourr. * '' Melica animarum'' Muj.-Sall. & M.Marchi * '' Melica argentata'' É.Desv. * '' Melica argyrea'' Hack. * '' Melica aristata'' Thurb. ex Bol. – bearded melic grass * '' Melica arzivencoi'' Valls & Barcellos * '' Melica × aschersonii'' M.Schulze * '' Melica bocquetii'' Talavera * '' Melica bonariensis'' Parodi * '' Melica brasiliana'' Ard. * '' Melica brevicoronata'' Roseng. * '' Melica bulbosa'' Porter & J.M.Coult. – oniongrass * '' Melica californica'' Scribn. – California melic grass * '' Melica canariensis'' W.Hempel * '' Melica capillaris'' Sol. * '' Melica cepacea'' (Phil.) Scribn. * '' Melica chilensis'' J.Presl * '' Melica ciliata'' L. – hairy melic, silky spike melic * '' Melica commersonii'' Nees ex Steud. * '' Melica cupani'' Guss. * '' Melica decipiens'' Caro * '' Melica dendroides'' Lehm. * '' Melica eligulata'' Boiss. * '' Melica eremophila'' Torres * '' Melica frutescens'' Scribn. – woody melicgrass * '' Melica fugax'' Bol. – little oniongrass * '' Melica geyeri'' Munro ex Bol. – Geyer's oniongrass * '' Melica glabrescens'' (Torres) Torres * '' Melica grandiflora'' Koidz. * '' Melica harfordii'' Bol. – Harford's oniongrass * '' Melica × haussknechtii'' W.Hempel * '' Melica hunzikeri'' Nicora * '' Melica hyalina'' Döll * '' Melica imperfecta'' Trin. – smallflower melic * '' Melica kozlovii'' Tzvelev * '' Melica lilloi'' Bech. * '' Melica longiflora'' Steud. * '' Melica longiligulata'' Z.L.Wu * '' Melica macra'' Nees * '' Melica minor'' Hack. ex Boiss. * '' Melica minuta'' L. – small melic * '' Melica mollis'' Phil. * '' Melica montezumae'' Piper – Montezuma melic * '' Melica mutica'' Walter – two-flower melic grass * '' Melica nitens'' (Scribn.) Nutt. ex Piper – three-flower melic grass * '' Melica nutans'' L. – mountain melic; nodding melic * '' Melica onoei'' Franch. & Sav. * '' Melica pappiana'' W.Hempel * '' Melica parodiana'' Torres * '' Melica patagonica'' Parodi * '' Melica paulsenii'' Phil. * '' Melica penicillaris'' Boiss. & Balansa * '' Melica persica'' Kunth * '' Melica picta'' K.Koch * '' Melica poecilantha'' É.Desv. * '' Melica porteri'' Scribn. * '' Melica przewalskyi'' Roshev. * '' Melica racemosa'' Thunb. * '' Melica radula'' Franch. * '' Melica rectiflora'' Boiss. & Heldr. * '' Melica rigida'' Cav. * '' Melica riograndensis'' Longhi-Wagner & Valls * '' Melica sarmentosa'' Nees * '' Melica scaberrima'' (Nees ex Steud.) Hook.f. * '' Melica scabra'' Kunth * '' Melica scabrosa'' Trin. * '' Melica schafkatii'' Bondarenko * '' Melica schuetzeana'' W.Hempel * '' Melica secunda'' Regel * '' Melica serrana'' Muj.-Sall. & M.Marchi * '' Melica smirnovii'' Tzvelev * '' Melica smithii'' (Porter ex A.Gray) Vasey – Smith's melicgrass * '' Melica spartinoides'' L.B.Sm. * '' Melica spectabilis'' Scribn. – purple oniongrass * '' Melica stricta'' Bol. – rock melic grass * '' Melica stuckertii'' Hack. * '' Melica subflava'' Z.L.Wu & * '' Melica subulata'' (Griseb.) Scribn. – Alaska oniongrass * '' Melica tangutorum'' Tzvelev * '' Melica taylorii'' W.Hempel * '' Melica teneriffae'' Hack. ex Christ * '' Melica tenuis'' Arechav. * '' Melica × thuringiaca'' Rauschert * '' Melica tibetica'' Roshev. * '' Melica torreyana'' Scribn. – Torrey's melic * '' Melica transsilvanica'' Schur * '' Melica turczaninowiana'' Ohwi * '' Melica × tzvelevii'' W.Hempel * '' Melica uniflora'' Retz. * '' Melica violacea'' Cav. * '' Melica virgata'' Turcz. ex Trin. * '' Melica × weinii'' W.Hempel * '' Melica yajiangensis'' Z.L.Wu

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158251 Poaceae genera Grasses of Africa Grasses of Asia Grasses of Europe Grasses of North America Grasses of Oceania Grasses of South America Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus