Holcus

Holcus (soft-grass or velvetgrass) is a genus of African and Eurasian plants in the oat tribe within the grass family.[2][3][4]

Soft-grass
Holcus mollis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Supertribe: Poodae
Tribe: Poeae
Subtribe: Holcinae
Genus: Holcus
L.
Type species
Holcus lanatus
Synonyms[1]
  • Arthrochloa R.Br.
  • Ginannia Bubani
  • Homalachne (Benth. & Hook.f.) Kuntze
  • Homoiachne Pilg.
  • Notholcus Nash ex Hitchc.
  • Nothoholcus Nash
  • Sorgum Adans., rejected name

Holcus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora lixella.

Species[1][5][6]
  • Holcus annuus - Mediterranean and nearby areas from Portugal + Morocco to Caucasus
  • Holcus azoricus - Azores - possibly a hybrid of H. lanatus and H. rigidus
  • Holcus caespitosus - Sierra Nevada in southern Spain
  • Holcus gayanus - Spain, Portugal
  • Holcus grandiflorus - Spain
  • Holcus × hybridus - France, Germany, British Isles -- H. lanatus × H. mollis
  • Holcus lanatus - Europe, Mediterranean + nearby areas from Iceland to Canary Is to Caucasus; naturalized in North + South America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, various islands
  • Holcus mollis - Algeria, Tunisia, most of Europe; naturalized in Australia, new Zealand, scattered locales in North America
  • Holcus notarisii - Macedonia, Italy
  • Holcus rigidus - Azores
  • Holcus setiger - Cape Prov of South Africa
formerly included[1]

Several species now regarded as better suited to other genera; Andropogon Arrhenatherum Arundinella Bothriochloa Capillipedium Centotheca Chasmanthium Chrysopogon Deschampsia Heteropogon Hierochloe Pennisetum Pentameris Pseudoraphis Rostraria Sorghum Sporobolus Ventenata

References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 1047-1049 in Latin
  3. Tropicos, Holcus L.
  4. Altervista Flora Italiana genere Holcus
  5. The Plant List search for Holcus
  6. Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps


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