''Melica'' is a genus of perennial

grasses 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 ...

known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.Herbarium.usu.edu: Genus ''Melica'' treatment
/ref> Melica uniflora sl11 (cropped without scale)

Melica uniflora sl11 (cropped without scale)

Melic grasses are clumping to short-

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

. They have flowering culms up to tall bearing

spikelets A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...

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 A 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 ' ...

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 second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, 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 ''Melica californica'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name California melic. Distribution This grass is native to Oregon and California, where it grows in many types of habitat, from mountain forests to open grassland at sea ...

'' Scribn. – California melic grass * '' Melica canariensis'' W.Hempel * '' Melica capillaris'' Sol. * ''

Melica cepacea ''Melica'' is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world. Melic grasses are clumping to short-rhizomatous grasses. They have flowering culms up to tall bearing ...

'' (Phil.) Scribn. * ''

Melica chilensis ''Melica'' is a genus of perennial Poaceae, grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world. Melic grasses are clumping to short-rhizome, rhizomatous Poaceae, grasses. They have culm (bot ...

'' 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 ''Melica minuta'' is a species of grass that can be found in the Mediterranean Basin, from Portugal and Morocco to the Eastern Mediterranean. Description The species is perennial and have long culms. Both the leaf-sheaths and the leaf-blades ...

'' 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 ''Melica nutans'', known as mountain melick, is a grass species in the family Poaceae, native to European and Asian forests. Description The grass has slender creeping rhizomes. The culms are tall. It inflorescence is comprised out of 5–15 ...

'' L. – mountain melic; nodding melic * ''

Melica onoei ''Melica onoei'' is a species of grass found in China, Japan, Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan. Description The species is perennial and have elongated rhizomes. It culms are long. The species leaf-sheaths are tubular and smooth with one of their ...

'' Franch. & Sav. * '' Melica pappiana'' W.Hempel * '' Melica parodiana'' Torres * '' Melica patagonica'' Parodi * '' Melica paulsenii'' Phil. * '' Melica penicillaris'' Boiss. & Balansa * '' Melica persica'' Kunth * ''

Melica picta ''Melica picta'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae that can be found in Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia. Description The species is cespitose and perennial with the culms being long. Leaf-sheaths are closed, tubular ...

'' 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 schafkati'' 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