''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separ ...

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 an ...

es collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the 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 r ...

and the tribe

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 ...

, which also contains many species formerly assigned to ''Stipa'', which have since been reclassified into new genera. Many species are important

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...

crops. Several species such as ''Stipa brachytricha'', ''S. arundinacea'', ''S. splendens'', ''S. calamagrostis'', ''S. gigantea'' and ''S. pulchra'' are used as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s. One former species,

esparto Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. ''Stipa tenacissima'' and ''Lygeum spartum ...

grass (''

Macrochloa tenacissima ''Stipa tenacissima'' (esparto, esparto grass, halfah grass, alfa grass, or needle grass) is a perennial grass of northwestern Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Distribution ''Stipa tenacissima'' is an endemic species of th ...

''), is used for

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

s and extensively in

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

making. It is a coarse grass with inrolled leaves and a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

patterned

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

Ecology

Species of the genus ''Stipa'' can occur in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s or in

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s. Certain specific

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

plant associations are dominated by grasses of the genus ''Stipa'', which genus often lends its name to the terminology of some prairie types. In some areas of the western United States grasses of the genus ''Stipa'' form a significant part of the understory of Blue Oak savannas, and were even a more important element

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

ally before the invasion of many European grasses.

Selected species

*'' Stipa avenacea'' – black oat grass *'' Stipa baicalensis'' Roshev. *''

Stipa barbata ''Stipa barbata'' is a species of perennial grass native to southern Europe, North Africa, and the Levant in the Mediterranean Basin, and temperate Asia. The plant is a bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in ...

'' Desf. *'' Stipa bavarica'' *'' Stipa borysthenica'' *'' Stipa brachytricha'' – Korean feather grass *''

Stipa canadensis ''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species form ...

'' *'' Stipa capensis'' *''

Stipa capillata ''Stipa capillata'' is a perennial bunchgrass species in the family Poaceae, native to Europe and Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcon ...

'' L. *'' Stipa coreana'' Honda – Korean needlegrass *'' Stipa grandis'' P.A.Smirn. *'' Stipa joannis'' Čelak. *'' Stipa leptogluma'' *'' Stipa mexicana'' *'' Stipa milleana'' *'' Stipa mollis'' *''

Stipa pennata ''Stipa pennata'', common name ''European feather grass'', is a flowering plant and arid zone sand grass in the grass family Poaceae, which is grown as an ornamental plant for its feathery flowering spikes. It is one of the most common plants of ...

'' L. – feather grass *'' Stipa pulcherrima'' *'' Stipa speciosa'' *'' Stipa tirsa'' Steven *'' Stipa tulcanensis'' *'' Stipa turkestanica'' Hack. *'' Stipa zalesskii'' Wilensky

Formerly placed here

*''

Achnatherum aridum ''Achnatherum aridum'' is a species of grass known by the common name Mormon needlegrass. It is native to the southwestern United States from the Mojave Desert in California east to Colorado and New Mexico. Description ''Achnatherum aridum'' is ...

'' (as ''S. arida'') *'' Achnatherum calamagrostis'' (L.) P.Beauv. (as ''S. calamagrostis'' (L.) Wahlenb.) *'' Achnatherum robustum'' (Vasey) Barkworth (as ''S. robusta'' (Vasey) Scribn.) *'' Achnatherum splendens'' (Trin.) Nevski (as ''S. splendens'' Trin.) *''

Celtica gigantea ''Celtica gigantea'', commonly called giant feather grass, giant needle grass, or golden oats, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family (botany), family Poaceae, native to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. It is still widely reference ...

'' (Link) F. M. Vazquez & Barkworth (as ''S. gigantea'' Link) *''

Hesperostipa comata ''Hesperostipa comata'', commonly known as needle-and-thread grass, is a species of grass native to North America, especially the western third. It has a wide distribution spanning from northern Canada to Mexico. Description ''Hesperostipa comat ...

(''as ''S. comata)'' *''

Jarava ichu ''Jarava ichu'', commonly known as Peruvian feathergrass, ''ichhu'', ''paja brava'', ''paja ichu'', or simply ''ichu'' (Quechua for straw), is a grass species in the family Poaceae native to the Americas. It is found growing in a vast area: Mex ...

'' Ruiz & Pav. (as ''S. ichu'' (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth) *''

'' (Loefl. ex L.) Kunth (as ''S. tenacissima'' Loefl. ex L.) *'' Nassella leucotricha'' (Trin. & Rupr.) R.W.Pohl (as ''S. leucotricha'' Trin. & Rupr.) *''

Nassella pulchra ''Nassella pulchra'', basionym ''Stipa pulchra'', is a species of grass known by the common names purple needlegrass and purple tussockgrass. It is native to the U.S. state of California, where it occurs throughout the coastal hills, valleys, an ...

'' (Hitchc.) Barkworth (as ''S. pulchra'' Hitchc.) *''

Oryzopsis hymenoides ''Eriocoma hymenoides'' (common names: Indian ricegrass and sand rice grass) is a cool-season, perennial bunchgrass with narrow, rolled leaf blades.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd Ed., p287 It is native to western North America east of ...

'' (Ricker.) (as ''S. hymenoides'' Roem. & Schult.) *'' Nassella viridula'' (Trin.) Barkworth (as ''S. viridula'' Trin.) *'' Hesperostipa spartea'' (Trin.) Barkworth (as ''Stipa spartea'' Trin.) *'' Anemanthele lessoniana'' (Steud.) Veldkamp (as ''Stipa arundinacea'' Hook.f.)

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q161274 Poaceae genera

Ecology

Selected species

Formerly placed here

See also

References

External links