Melica

Genus of grasses

Melica

Melica ciliata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Plantae
Clade:  | Tracheophytes
Clade:  | Angiosperms
Clade:  | Monocots
Clade:  | Commelinids
Order:  | Poales
Family:  | Poaceae
Subfamily:  | Pooideae
Supertribe:  | Melicodae
Tribe:  | Meliceae
Genus:  | Melica

Species

See text

Melica is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.[1]

Melica uniflora spikelet Corm of Melica spectabilis, purple oniongrass Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea' cultivar Melica picta in situ

Melic grasses are clumping to short-rhizomatous grasses. They have flowering culms up to 250 cm (98 in) 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.[1] Some species of melic have corms, lending them the name oniongrass.[2]

The genus is most diverse in South America and temperate Asia.[3] Eight species are endemic to China.[4] In North America, most species occur west of the Mississippi River, with exceptions being Melica mutica and M. nitens which occur throughout much of the southeast and lower Midwest respectively.[1][5]

## Species[edit]

Species and hybrids include:[3][6]

* 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 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[edit]

1. ^ a b c Herbarium.usu.edu: Genus Melica treatment
2. ^ Jepson Manual eFlora: Melica links
3. ^ a b "Melica L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
4. ^ Wu, Zhen-lan; Sylvia M. Phillips. "Melica". Flora of China. Vol. 22. Retrieved 9 December 2018 - via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
5. ^ "Melica 2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas". bonap.net. The Biota of North America Program. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
6. ^ Calflora Database: Melica

Taxon identifiers|

* Wikidata: Q158251
* Wikispecies: Melica
* APDB: 192520
* APNI: 113843
* BOLD: 120938
* CoL: 8VZ8X
* EoL: 108177
* EPPO: 1MECG
* FoAO2: Melica
* FoC: 120133
* GBIF: 2703093
* GrassBase: gen00374
* GRIN: 7424
* iNaturalist: 52803
* IPNI: 30001058-2
* IRMNG: 1311181
* ISC: 108318
* ITIS: 41842
* NBN: NHMSYS0000460660
* NCBI: 15644
* NZOR: 4b66b50a-3d64-4956-ae32-2c051f88466f
* Open Tree of Life: 629679
* PLANTS: MELIC
* POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30001058-2
* Tropicos: 40016407
* VASCAN: 1404
* WFO: wfo-4000023630

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