Melica

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

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

Familia: Poaceae
Subfamilia: Pooideae
Tribus: Meliceae
Genus: Melica
Species: (91 sensu Simon et al (2013))
M. altissima – M. amethystina – M. animarum – M. argentata – M. argyrea – M. aristata – M. arzivencoi – M. bauhinii – M. bocquetii – M. bonariensis – M. brasiliana – M. brevicoronata – M. bulbosa – M. californica – M. canariensis – M. cepacea – M. chilensis – M. ciliata – M. commersonii – M. cupani – M. decipiens – M. dendroides – M. eligulata – M. eremophila – M. frutescens – M. fugax – M. geyeri – M. glabrescens – M. grandiflora – M. harfordii – M. hitchcockii – M. hunzikeri – M. hyalina – M. imperfecta – M. komarovii – M. kozlovii – M. lilloi – M. longiflora – M. longiligulata – M. macra – M. minor – M. minuta – M. mollis – M. montezumae – M. mutica – M. nitens – M. nutans – M. onoei – M. pappiana – M. parodiana – M. patagonica – M. paulsenii – M. penicillaris – M. persica – M. picta – M. poecilantha – M. porteri – M. przewalskyi – M. racemosa – M. radula – M. rectiflora – M. rigida – M. riograndensis – M. sarmentosa – M. scaberrima – M. scabra – M. scabrosa – M. schafkatii – M. schischkinii – M. schuetzeana – M. secunda – M. serrana – M. smithii – M. spartinoides – M. spectabilis – M. stricta – M. stuckertii – M. subflava – M. subulata – M. tangutorum – M. taylorii – M. teneriffae – M. tenuis – M. tibetica – M. torreyana – M. transsilvanica – M. turczaninowiana – M. uniflora – M. violacea – M. virgata – M. yajiangensis
Name

Melica L., Sp. Pl.: 66 (1753), nom. cons.
Type species: Melica nutans L., Sp. Pl.: 66 (1753)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Dalucum Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 323 (1763)
Beckeria Bernh., Syst. Verz. Erf.: 20 (1800)
Claudia Opiz, Lotos 3: 67 (1853)
Verinea Merino, Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 28(Mem.): 8 (1899), nom. illeg.
Bromelica (Thurb.) Farw., Rhodora 21: 77 (1919)

References

Linneaus, C. von (1753) Species Plantarum 1: 66.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2013. Melica in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Dec. 7. Reference page.
Simon, B.K., Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T., Vorontsova, M., Brake, I., Healy, D. & Alfonso, Y. 2013. GrassWorld, Melica. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Dec. 7.
Tropicos.org 2013. Melica. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Dec. 7.
International Plant Names Index. 2013. Melica. Published online. Accessed: 7 Dec. 2013.

Vernacular names
беларуская: Перлаўка
English: Melic
suomi: Helmikät
русский: Перловник

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

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

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