Hilaria (genus)
Encyclopedia
Hilaria is a genus
of grass
in the Poaceae
family. Members of the genus are commonly known as curly mesquite. It contains 9-10 species that are found in the Southwestern United States
, Mexico
, Central America
, and Venezuela
. The generic name honors French naturalist Augustin Saint-Hilaire
(1779–1853).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
in the Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
family. Members of the genus are commonly known as curly mesquite. It contains 9-10 species that are found in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. The generic name honors French naturalist Augustin Saint-Hilaire
Augustin Saint-Hilaire
Augustin François César Prouvençal de Saint-Hilaire , French botanist and traveler, was born at Orléans, France, on 4 October 1779. He began to publish memoirs on botanical subjects at an early age...
(1779–1853).
Selected species
- Hilaria belangeri (Steud.Ernst Gottlieb von SteudelErnst Gottlieb von Steudel was a German physician and an authority on grasses.Steudel lived in Esslingen where with Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter he organized Unio Itineraria.- References :...
) NashGeorge Valentine NashGeorge Valentine Nash was an American botanist. Employeed by the New York Botanical Garden, Nash did field work in the Bahamas, South Florida and Haiti.He published Costa Rican Orchids North American Flora...
– Common Curly Mesquite - Hilaria cenchroides KunthCarl Sigismund KunthCarl Sigismund Kunth , also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist...
- Hilaria swallenii Cory – Swallen's Curly Mesquite
Formerly placed here
- Pleuraphis jamesiiPleuraphis jamesiiPleuraphis jamesii is a species of grass known by the common name James' galleta. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it is widespread in scrub, woodland, grassland, and plateau habitat...
Torr. (as H. jamesii (Torr.) Benth.) - Pleuraphis mutica Buckley (as H. mutica (Buckley) Benth.)
- Pleuraphis rigidaPleuraphis rigidaPleuraphis rigida is a species of grass known by the common name big galleta.-Distribution:Pleuraphis rigida is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it is widespread in chaparral, scrub, woodland, grassland, and plateau habitat...
Thurb. (as H. rigida (Thurb.) Benth. ex Scribn.)