Bothriochloa


Bothriochloa is a common and widespread genus of plants in the grass family native to many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. They are often called beardgrass, bluegrass or bluestem. Some species are invasive in areas where they have been introduced.
The etymology of the genus name Bothriochloa derives from the two ancient Greek words , meaning "small pit or trench", and or , meaning "new green shoot or blade of grass".
An specimens of Bothriochloa from Gooty Fort Hill, Andhra Pradesh, India was collected in December 2019 and identified as Bothriochloa ewartiana C. E. Hubb. based on literature study and international correspondence with experts from Australia, Indonesia and Americas. This study adds an extended and disjunct distribution of a Far Eastern species in Asia from India.

Systematics

Species list

The following species are recognised:
  • Bothriochloa alta Henrard – tall beardgrass – Americas from New Mexico to Argentina
  • Bothriochloa barbinodis Herter– cane bluestem – USA, Mexico, El Salvador, South America
  • Bothriochloa biloba S.T.Blake – Queensland, New South Wales
  • Bothriochloa bladhii S.T.Blake – Asia, Australia, New Guinea, Africa, Madagascar
  • Bothriochloa bunyensis B.K.Simon – Queensland
  • Bothriochloa campii De Wet – Ecuador
  • Bothriochloa compressa Henrard – India, Lesser Sunda Islands
  • Bothriochloa decipiens C.E.Hubb. – Australia
  • Bothriochloa edwardsiana Parodi – Mexico, Texas, Argentina, Uruguay
  • Bothriochloa ensiformis Henrard – India
  • Bothriochloa erianthoides C.E.Hubb. – Queensland, New South Wales
  • Bothriochloa eurylemma M.Marchi & Longhi – Wagner – Brazil, Argentina
  • Bothriochloa ewartiana C.E.Hubb. – Australia, Philippines, Lesser Sunda Islands, Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Bothriochloa exaristata Henrard – awnless beardgrass – southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, USA
  • Bothriochloa grahamii Bor – India
  • Bothriochloa hirtifolia Henrard – Mexico, Guatemala
  • Bothriochloa hybrida Gould – USA, Mexico
  • Bothriochloa imperatoides Herter – Rio Grande do Sul, northern Argentina, Uruguay
  • Bothriochloa insculpta A.Camus – sweetpitted grass – Africa, Madagascar, India, Arabian Peninsula, Spain, Sicily
  • Bothriochloa ischaemum Keng – yellow bluestem – Eurasia + North Africa from Portugal + Canary Islands to Korea
  • Bothriochloa kuntzeana Henrard – India, Nepal
  • Bothriochloa laguroides Herter – silver bluestem – Americas from Mexico to Chile
  • Bothriochloa longifolia Bor – India
  • Bothriochloa longipaniculata Allred & Gould – longspike beardgrass – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Guatemala, Mexico, USA
  • Bothriochloa macra S.T.Blake – red – leg grass, red grass, redleg or pitted beard grass – Australia
  • Bothriochloa meridionalis M.Marchi & Longhi – Wagner – Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Rio Grande do Sul
  • Bothriochloa modesta Backer & Henrard – Java, Lesser Sunda Islands
  • Bothriochloa pertusa A.Camus – pitted beardgrass – China, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, islands of Indian Ocean + western Pacific
  • Bothriochloa pseudischaemum Henrard – India, Sri Lanka
  • Bothriochloa radicans A.Camus – eastern + southern Africa, Arabian Peninsula
  • Bothriochloa saccharoides Rydb. – Americas from Utah to Uruguay
  • Bothriochloa springfieldii Parodi – USA, Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina
  • Bothriochloa torreyana Scrivanti & Anton – southern USA, Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay
  • Bothriochloa velutina M.Marchi & Longhi – Wagner – Paraná, Santa Catarina
  • Bothriochloa woodrovii A.Camus – India
  • Bothriochloa wrightii Henrard – Mexico, USA

    Former taxa

See Capillipedium, Dichanthium, Euclasta, Hemisorghum and Pseudosorghum.
The following taxa were formerly included in the genus: