Brachypodium (short foot) is a genus of plants in the grass family, widespread across much of Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America.Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie 100-101 in LatinPalisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie plante XIX (19), figure III (3 a-f) line drawings of Brachypodium pinnatumFlora of China, Vol. 22 Page 368 短柄草族 duan bing cao zu Poaceae Tribe Brachypodieae Flora of Pakistan, Brachypodium P. Beauv.Altervista Flora Italiana, genere BrachypodiumSanbi Red List of South African Plants The genus is classified in its own tribe Brachypodieae.
Flimsy upright stems form tussocks. Flowers appear in compact spike-like racemes with 5-25 flowers on each short-stalked spikelet in summer. Leaves are flat or curved.Lord, Tony (2003) Flora : The Gardener's Bible : More than 20,000 garden plants from around the world. London: Cassell.
According to a study published in 2010, there is evidence of Brachypodium and cattail (Typha spp.) residues occurring on prehistoric human grinding tools dated 28,000 years ago from Bilancino in central Italy. Another contemporaneously published study stated that the grain residues resemble Brachypodium, based on a comparison to two modern specimens: "Among these, the grains, which are slightly angular, with hardly visible centric, point-shaped hila and adequate dimensions (in the sample measuring 9–14 μm), appeared very similar to those of Brachypodium or related genera."
SpeciesThe Plant List search for Brachypodium Brachypodium × ambrosii - Spain Brachypodium × apollinaris - Spain Brachypodium arbusculum - Canary Islands Brachypodium bolusii - Lesotho, South Africa Brachypodium × cugnacii - Denmark, Ireland, France, Czech Republic Brachypodium × diazii - Spain Brachypodium distachyon - Mediterranean, Sahara, Sahel, southwest Asia from Portugal + Cape Verde to Sudan + Ukraine + Tibet Brachypodium firmifolium - Cyprus Brachypodium flexum - Africa from Sierra Leone to KwaZulu-Natal + Madagascar Brachypodium humbertianum - Madagascar Brachypodium kawakamii - Taiwan Brachypodium kotschyi - Turkey Brachypodium madagascariense - Madagascar Brachypodium mexicanum - Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia Brachypodium perrieri - Madagascar Brachypodium phoenicoides - Mediterranean from Portugal + Morocco to Greece Brachypodium pinnatum - Africa + Eurasia from Ireland + Morocco to China + Yakutia Brachypodium pringlei - Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Coahuila) Brachypodium retusum - Mediterranean + nearby areas from Portugal + Morocco to Ethiopia + Caucasus Brachypodium sylvaticum - Africa + Eurasia from Ireland + Morocco to Korea + New Guinea
Formerly included numerous species once considered members of Brachypodium but now considered better suited to other genera: Agropyron Anthosachne Arundinella Brachyelytrum Brachysteleum Catapodium Cutandia Distichlis Elymus Festuca Festucopsis Lolium Micropyrum Poa Ptychomitrium Rostraria Triticum Vulpia
See also List of Poaceae genera
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment USDA Plants Profile Grass Manual Treatment Botanica Sistematica