Olmeca is a genus of Mesoamerican bamboo in the grass family.Tropicos, Olmeca Soderstr.Soderstrom, Thomas Robert. 1982. Phytologia 51(2): 161.
Olmeca is the only known New World bamboo having large fleshy fruits. It also has rhizomes with long necks and very open clumps.Soderstrom, Thomas Robert. 1981. American Journal of Botany 68: 1361-1373
The genus is named for the Olmec peoples of southern Mexico, who thrived in southern Mexico in the first millennium BCE.
SpeciesKew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesRuiz-Sanchez, Eduardo, Sosa, Victoria, & Mejía-Saules, M. Teresa. 2011. Molecular phylogenetics of the Mesoamerican bamboo Olmeca (Poaceae, Bambuseae): Implications for taxonomy. Taxon 60(1): 89–98.Soreng, R. J., G. Davidse, P. M. Peterson, F. O. Zuloaga, E. J. Judziewicz, T. S. Filgueiras & O. Morrone. 2003 and onwards. On-line taxonomic novelties and updates, distributional additions and corrections, and editorial changes since the four published volumes of the Catalogue of New World Grasses (Poaceae) published in Contributions from the United States National Herbarium vols. 39, 41, 46, and 48. http://www.tropicos.org/Project/CNWG:. In R. J. Soreng, G. Davidse, P. M. Peterson, F. O. Zuloaga, T. S. Filgueiras, E. J. Judziewicz & O. Morrone (eds.), Internet Catalogue of New World Grasses. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Olmeca clarkiae (Davidse & R.W.Pohl) Ruiz-Sanchez, Sosa & Mejía-Saulés - Chiapas, Honduras Olmeca fulgor (Soderstr.) Ruiz-Sanchez - Oaxaca Olmeca recta Soderstr. - Veracruz Olmeca reflexa Soderstr. - Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas Olmeca zapotecorum Ruiz-Sanchez, Sosa & Mejía-Saulés - Oaxaca
References