Ixophorus

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Poales

Familia: Poaceae
Subfamilia: Panicoideae
Tribus: Paniceae
Subtribus: Cenchrinae
Genus: Ixophorus
Species: I. unisetus
Name

Ixophorus Schltdl., Linnaea 31: 420 (1862)
monotypic taxon

References

Schlechtendal, D.T.L. von (1862) Linnaea 31(4): 420.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2013. Ixophorus in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 30. Reference page.
Simon, B.K., Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T., Vorontsova, M., Brake, I., Healy, D. & Alfonso, Y. 2013. GrassWorld, Ixophorus. Published online. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 30.
Tropicos.org 2013. Ixophorus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 30 Nov. 2013.
International Plant Names Index. 2013. Ixophorus. Published online. Accessed: 30 Nov. 2013.

Ixophorus is a genus of Latin American plants in the grass family. The only recognized species is Ixophorus unisetus.[2][3][4] Some authors have included one or two other species in the genus, such as I. pringlei, but these have more recently been reduced to synonymy.[4] Common names for I. unisetus include crane grass, turkey grass,[5] Honduras grass, Mexican grass,[6] Central America grass, hático (Colombia), zacate blanco (El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico), and zacate chompipe (Nicaragua).[7]

This grass is native to Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.[2][5] It is an introduced species in Hawaii.[2][8]

The grass is variable. It can be annual or perennial, growing up to 1.5 meters tall or remaining much shorter. The stem can be up to a centimeter wide and dry to nearly succulent. The inflorescence is an open panicle with up to 50 branches.[3]

This grass is grown for grazing and hay in some places, such as Costa Rica.[6]

formerly included[2]

several taxa once regarded as members of Ixophorus but now regarded as better suited to other genera: Pennisetum Setaria

Ixophorus glaucus – Pennisetum glaucum
Ixophorus glaucus var. laevigatus – Setaria parviflora
Ixophorus italicus – Setaria italica
Ixophorus verticillatus – Setaria verticillata
Ixophorus viridis – Setaria viridis

References

Schlechtendal, Diederich Franz Leonhard von. 1861. Linnaea 31(4): 420-422 descriptions in Latin, commentary in German
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Hiser, K. M. Ixophorus Schltdl. Archived 2015-02-17 at the Wayback Machine Grass Manual. Flora of North America.
Kellogg, E. A., et al. (2004). Taxonomy, phylogeny, and inflorescence development of the genus Ixophorus (Panicoideae: Poaceae). Int J Plant Sci 165(6) 1089-1105.
"Ixophorus unisetus". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 January 2018.
Ixophorus unisetus. Grassland Species Profiles. FAO.
Quattrocchi, U. CRC World Dictionary of Grasses: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology, Volume 1. CRC Press. 2006. pg. 1141.
Ixophorus unisetus. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER).