Stipa is a genus of about 140 species of 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 formerly assigned to Stipa, which have since been reclassified into new genera.
Many species are important forage crops. Several species such as Stipa brachytricha, S. arundinacea, S. splendens, S. gigantea and S. pulchra are used as ornamental plants. One former species, esparto grass (Macrochloa tenacissima), is used for crafts and extensively in paper making.
It is a coarse grass with inrolled leaves and a panicle patterned inflorescence.
Ecology Species of the genus Stipa can occur in grasslandsElgaily Osman Ahmed, 1983 or in savanna habitats. Certain specific prairie plant associations are dominated by grasses of the genus Stipa, which genus often lends its name to the terminology of some prairie types.Ecological Society of America, 1921 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 prehistorically before the invasion of many European grasses.*C. Michael Hogan, 2008
Species , Plants of the World Online accepted 141 species and primary hybrids.
Stipa academica Stipa × adamii Stipa adoxa Stipa aktauensis Stipa × alaica Stipa × albasiensis Stipa aliena Stipa almeriensis Stipa annua Stipa apertifolia Stipa arabica Stipa araxensis Stipa arenosa Stipa argillosa Stipa asperella Stipa × assyriaca Stipa atlantica Stipa austroaltaica Stipa austroitalica Stipa austromongolica Stipa badachschanica Stipa baicalensis Roshev. Stipa balansae Stipa × balkanabatica Stipa barbata Desf. Stipa barrancaensis Stipa basiplumosa Stipa bavarica Stipa baxoiensis Stipa borysthenica Stipa brachyptera Stipa × brevicallosa Stipa breviflora Stipa breviseta Stipa × brozhiana Stipa bungeana Stipa capillacea Stipa capillata L. Stipa caucasica Stipa × consanguinea Stipa cretacea Stipa × czerepanovii Stipa daghestanica Stipa dasyphylla Stipa dasyvaginata Stipa diastrophica Stipa dickorei Stipa donetzica Stipa dregeana Stipa drobovii Stipa durifolia Stipa × dzungarica Stipa ehrenbergiana Stipa endotricha Stipa × fallacina Stipa × fallax Stipa feltrina Stipa gaubae Stipa × gegarkunii Stipa glareosa Stipa × gnezdilloi Stipa gracilis Stipa grandis P.A.Smirn. Stipa hans-meyeri Stipa henryi Stipa × heptapotamica Stipa himalaica Stipa × hissarica Stipa hoggarensis Stipa hohenackeriana Stipa holosericea Stipa iberica Stipa illimanica Stipa iranica Stipa isoldeae Stipa issaevii Stipa juncea Stipa juncoides Stipa × kamelinii Stipa karakabinica Stipa karataviensis Stipa karjaginii Stipa kempirica Stipa keniensis Stipa khovdensis Stipa kirghisorum Stipa klimesii Stipa korshinskyi Stipa kotuchovii Stipa krylovii Stipa × ladakhensis Stipa lagascae Stipa larisae Stipa leptogluma Stipa lessingiana Stipa letourneuxii Stipa lingua Stipa lipskyi Stipa longiplumosa Stipa macbridei Stipa macroglossa Stipa magnifica Stipa × majalis Stipa × manrakica Stipa margelanica Stipa martinovskyi Stipa mayeri Stipa media Stipa meridionalis Stipa milleana Stipa mongolorum Stipa munroana Stipa nachiczevanica Stipa narynica Stipa nitens Stipa novakii Stipa offneri Stipa okmirii Stipa orientalis Stipa ovczinnikovii Stipa penicillata Stipa pennata L. – feather grass Stipa petriei Buchanan Stipa plumosa Trin. Stipa polyclada Hack. Stipa pontica P.A.Smirn. Stipa przewalskyi Roshev. Stipa × pseudocapillata Roshev. Stipa × pseudomacroglossa M.Nobis Stipa pugionata Caro & E.A.Sánchez Stipa pulcherrima Stipa pungens Stipa purpurea Stipa rechingeri Stipa regeliana Stipa richteriana Stipa roborowskyi Stipa rohmooiana Stipa rosea Stipa sareptana Stipa scholzii Stipa scirpea Stipa sczerbakovii Stipa shanxiensis Stipa sicula Stipa sosnowskyi Stipa subaristata Stipa × subdrobovii Stipa subplumosa Stipa subsessiliflora Stipa syreistschikowii Stipa × tadzhikistanica Stipa × talassica Stipa tianschanica Stipa tigrensis Stipa tirsa Steven Stipa tortuosa Stipa transcarpatica Stipa tremula Stipa trichoides Stipa tulcanensis (unplaced) Stipa turkestanica Hack. Stipa × tzveleviana Stipa × tzvelevii Stipa ucrainica Stipa × zaissanica Stipa zalesskii Wilensky Stipa zeravshanica Stipa zhadaensis Stipa zuvantica
Formerly placed here
Achnatherum calamagrostis (L.) P.Beauv. (as S. calamagrostis (L.) Wahlenb.) Achnatherum robustum (Vasey) Barkworth (as S. robusta (Vasey) Scribn.) Anemanthele lessoniana (as Stipa arundinacea Hook.f.) Celtica gigantea (Link) F. M. Vazquez & Barkworth (as S. gigantea Link) Eriocoma arida (as Stipa arida and S. mormonum ) Eriocoma hymenoides (as S. hymenoides ) Hesperostipa comata (as Stipa comata ) Hesperostipa spartea (as Stipa spartea Trin.) Jarava ichu Ruiz & Pav. (as S. ichu (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth) Nassella hyalina (as Stipa hyalina and S. avenacea ) Nassella leucotricha (Trin. & Rupr.) R.W.Pohl (as S. leucotricha Trin. & Rupr.) Nassella mexicana (as Stipa mexicana ) Nassella pulchra (Hitchc.) Barkworth (as S. pulchra Hitchc.) Nassella viridula (as S. viridula Trin.) Neotrinia splendens (Trin.) M.Nobis, P.D.Gudkova & A.Nowak (as S. splendens Trin.) Pappostipa speciosa (as Stipa speciosa ) Patis coreana (as Stipa coreana Honda) – Korean needlegrass Piptochaetium avenaceum (as Stipa avenacea ) Piptochaetium virescens (as Stipa virescens and S. avenacea ) Stipellula capensis (as Stipa capensis )
See also Nassella
References
External links