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Panicoideae

plant subfamily

Learn about this topic in these articles:

classification and characteristics

  • wild rice
    In Poaceae: Distribution and abundance

    …the two subfamilies Chloridoideae and Panicoideae tolerate relatively warm and dry habitats through special adaptations for photosynthesis. Both subfamilies are concentrated in the tropics, and those that do extend into higher latitudes flower and grow mostly during the warmest part of the growing season. The 1,300 species of the Chloridoideae…

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spikelet structure

  • wild rice
    In Poaceae: Characteristic morphological features

    Spikelets of the Panicoideae contain two florets, a sterile or pollen-producing floret below a fruit-producing, and sometimes also a pollen-producing, floret. The entire spikelet breaks away from the plant as a unit for fruit dispersal. In contrast, the Pooideae often have more than two florets per spikelet—florets that…

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Also spelled:
silver grass

silvergrass, (genus Miscanthus), genus of about 10 species of tall perennial grasses in the family Poaceae, native primarily to southeastern Asia. Eulalia, or Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis), and several other species sometimes are grown as lawn or border ornamentals for their silvery or white plumelike flower clusters; the dried heads often are used in decoration. Giant miscanthus (M. ×giganteus) is a potential biofuel and biomass crop.

Silvergrasses are typically large reed or canelike grasses with long straplike leaves. The leaves of ornamental varieties often have yellow or white stripes or bands. The inflorescences feature fan-shaped branches, and the paired flower spikelets are characteristically surrounded by silky hairs. Several species spread vegetatively with rhizomes (underground stems).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.