Leptochloa is a widespread genus of Asian, Australian, and American plants in the grass family.Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie 71 description in Latin, commentary in FrenchPalisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie plate XV (15), figure I (1 a-d) line drawings of Leptochloa virgata, identified in captions on page 10
Members of the genus are commonly known as sprangletops.Atlas of Living Australia, Leptochloa P.Beauv. Sprangletop
The generic name is derived from the Greek words leptos, meaning "thin," and chloa, meaning "grass," referring to the inflorescences.Peterson, P. M., K. Romaschenko, N. W. Snow & G. Johnson. 2012. A molecular phylogeny and classification of Leptochloa (Poaceae: Chloridoideae: Chlorideae) sensu lato and related genera. Annals of Botany (Oxford), n.s. 109: 1317–1329
Species , Plants of the World Online accepted 14 species: Leptochloa anisopoda (B.L.Rob.) P.M.Peterson Leptochloa asthenes (Roem. & Schult.) C.E.Hubb. – Australia Leptochloa barbata (Desv.) Nicora – Paraguay, Argentina Leptochloa chloridiformis (Hack.) Parodi Leptochloa crinita (Lag.) P.M.Peterson & N.Snow Leptochloa digitata (R.Br.) Domin – Australia Leptochloa exilis (Renvoize) P.M.Peterson Leptochloa longa Griseb. – Panama, Trinidad Leptochloa malayana (C.E.Hubb.) Jansen ex Veldkamp – Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia Leptochloa monticola Chase – Hispaniola Leptochloa mucronata (Michx.) Kunth – south-central USA, Mesoamerica, Bermuda, Trinidad, Netherlands Antilles, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Galápagos Leptochloa pluriflora (E.Fourn.) P.M.Peterson & N.Snow Leptochloa tectoneticola (Backer) Jansen ex Veldkamp – Cambodia, Thailand, Java Leptochloa virgata (L.) P.Beauv. – tropic sprangletop – from South Carolina to Paraguay
Former species Species formerly placed in Leptochloa include:Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (See Arundinella Acrachne Bouteloua Chloris Coelachyrum Cynodon Desmostachya Dinebra Diplachne Disakisperma Eleusine Enteropogon Eragrostis Gouinia Gymnopogon Leptocarydion Myriostachya Pogonarthria Rostraria Trichoneura Trigonochloa Tripogon.)
References
External links
Grassbase - The World Online Grass Flora