Alopecurus
Image:Illustration Alopecurus pratensis0.jpg|thumb|right|meadow foxtail
Alopecurus, or foxtail grass, is a common and widespread genus of plants in the grass family. It is common across temperate and subtropical parts of Eurasia, northern Africa, and the Americas, as well as naturalized in Australia and on various islands.
Foxtails can be annual or perennial. They grow in tufts. They have flat leaves and blunt ligules. Their inflorescence is a dense panicle with 1-flowered spikelets. A few, particularly A. myosuroides, are considered weeds, others are very decorative and are used in bouquets of dried flowers.
Species
43 species are accepted.Alopecurus aequalis – Orange foxtail, shortawn foxtail – Eurasia, AmericasAlopecurus albovii – CaucasusAlopecurus alopecuroides – Syria and IsraelAlopecurus anatolicus – eastern TurkeyAlopecurus apiatus – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, IranAlopecurus arundinaceus – Reed foxtail, creeping foxtail, creeping meadow foxtail – Eurasia, North AfricaAlopecurus aucheri – Caucasus, Turkey, IranAlopecurus baptarrhenius – EthiopiaAlopecurus bonariensis – Argentina, UruguayAlopecurus borii – TurkmenistanAlopecurus bornmuelleri – PalestineAlopecurus brachystachus – Russia, China, MongoliaAlopecurus × brachystylus – western and northern Europe and SiberiaAlopecurus bulbosus – Bulbous foxtail – Mediterranean, western EuropeAlopecurus carolinianus – tufted meadow foxtail – US, western CanadaAlopecurus creticus – Greece, Turkey, BalkansAlopecurus cucullatus – central and eastern MediterraneanAlopecurus dasyanthus – Caucasus, IranAlopecurus davisii – Samos Island in GreeceAlopecurus geniculatus – Bent foxtail, marsh meadow foxtail – Algeria, EurasiaAlopecurus gerardii – MediterraneanAlopecurus goekyigitianus – TurkeyAlopecurus glacialis – Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, AfghanistanAlopecurus × haussknechtianus – central + northwestern EuropeAlopecurus heliochloides – ChileAlopecurus himalaicus – Himalayas, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, XinjiangAlopecurus hitchcockii – Peru, Bolivia, JujuyAlopecurus japonicus – China, Japan, KoreaAlopecurus laguroides – Caucasus, TurkeyAlopecurus lanatus – TurkeyAlopecurus longiaristatus – Heilongjiang, Primorye, KhabarovskAlopecurus magellanicus – northern Eurasia, North + South America, Falkland Is, South GeorgiaAlopecurus × marssonii – UkraineAlopecurus mucronatus – Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan Alopecurus myosuroides – Slender meadow foxtail, black grass, twitch grass, black twitch – Eurasia, North AfricaAlopecurus nepalensis – Himalayas, Tajikistan, TurkmenistanAlopecurus × plettkei – France, Germany, Belgium, NetherlandsAlopecurus ponticus – CaucasusAlopecurus pratensis – meadow foxtail – Eurasia from Azores to MongoliaAlopecurus rendlei – central + southern Europe, Algeria, Libya, TurkeyAlopecurus saccatus – Pacific foxtail – United States, Baja CaliforniaAlopecurus setarioides – France, Greece, Italy, Balkans, TurkeyAlopecurus textilis – Turkey, Caucasus, Syria, Iraq, Iran, TurkmenistanAlopecurus turczaninovii – SiberiaAlopecurus × turicensis – France, SwitzerlandAlopecurus tzvelevii – central European RussiaAlopecurus utriculatus – Greece, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, PalestineAlopecurus vaginatus – Crimea, Caucasus, Turkey, Middle East, Iran, AfghanistanAlopecurus × winklerianus – France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland
Formerly included
Numerous species once considered part of Alopecurus but now regarded as better suited to other genera: Agrostis, Crypsis, Koeleria, Milium, Muhlenbergia, Pennisetum, Perotis, Phleum, Polypogon, Rostraria, Setaria and Tribolium.