Stipa
Encyclopedia
This article is about a type of grass.
For Speech Transmission Index for Public Address Systems, see Speech transmission index.
For the Italian aircraft designer, see Luigi Stipa
. For the aircraft built by Caproni, see Stipa-Caproni
.
Stipa is a genus of around 300 large perennial
hermaphroditic
grass
es collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae
and the tribe Stipeae
.
Many species are important forage
crops. Several species such as Stipa brachytricha, S. arundinacea, S. splendens, S. calamagrostis, S. gigantea and S. pulchra are used as ornamental plant
s. One species, esparto
grass (Stipa tenacissima), is used for craft
s and extensively in paper
making.
s or in savanna
habitat
s. Certain specific prairie
plant associations are dominated by grasses of the genus Stipa, which genus often lends its name to the terminology of some prairie types. In some areas of the western USA grasses of the genus Stipa form a significant part of the understory of Blue Oak
savannas, and were even a more important element prehistorically before the invasion of many European grasses.
For Speech Transmission Index for Public Address Systems, see Speech transmission index.
For the Italian aircraft designer, see Luigi Stipa
Luigi Stipa
Luigi Stipa was an Italian aeronautical, hydraulic, and civil engineer and aircraft designer who invented the "intubed propeller" for aircraft, a concept that some aviation historians view as the predecessor of the turbofan engine....
. For the aircraft built by Caproni, see Stipa-Caproni
Stipa-Caproni
The Stipa-Caproni, also generally called the Caproni Stipa, was an experimental Italian aircraft designed in 1932 by Luigi Stipa and built by Caproni. It featured a hollow, barrel-shaped fuselage with the engine and propeller completely enclosed by the fuselage—in essence, the whole fuselage was a...
.
Stipa is a genus of around 300 large perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
hermaphroditic
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
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 ...
es collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae
Pooideae
The Pooideae is a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae. It includes some major cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and many lawn and pasture grasses.- List :...
and the tribe Stipeae
Stipeae
The Stipeae are a tribe of grasses within the subfamily Pooidae, with up to 600 described species. The defining morphological features of the Stipeae include single-flowered spikelets lacking a rachilla extension, and the lemmas have either a sharp point or a terminal awn .The tribe includes the...
.
Many species are important forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
crops. Several species such as Stipa brachytricha, S. arundinacea, S. splendens, S. calamagrostis, S. gigantea and S. pulchra are used as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s. One species, esparto
Esparto
Esparto, or esparto grass, also known as "halfah grass" or "needle grass", Macrochloa tenacissima and Stipa tenacissima, is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula employed for crafts .-Esparto paper:It is also used for fiber production for paper...
grass (Stipa tenacissima), is used for craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
s and extensively in paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
making.
Ecology
Species of the genus Stipa can occur in grasslandGrassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s or in savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s. Certain specific prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
plant associations are dominated by grasses of the genus Stipa, which genus often lends its name to the terminology of some prairie types. In some areas of the western USA grasses of the genus Stipa form a significant part of the understory of Blue Oak
Blue Oak
Quercus douglasii, the Blue Oak, is an oak in the white oak section of the genus, Quercus sect. Quercus. It is endemic to California and is found in foothills surrounding the Central Valley of California and certain locations in the California Coast Ranges, USA...
savannas, and were even a more important element prehistorically before the invasion of many European grasses.
Selected species
- Stipa arundinacea
- Stipa avenaceaStipa avenaceaStipa avenacea also termed as Piptochaetium avenaceum, and commonly called black oat grass or blackseed needle grass, is a perennial herb native to North America that reaches up to three feet in height...
– black oat grass - Stipa baicalensis Roshev.
- Stipa barbataStipa barbataStipa barbata is a species of perennial grass native to southern Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia. Culms are 30–60 cm long; leaf blades are flexuous, filiform, conduplicate or involute, and 15–30 cm long by 1–2 mm wide....
Desf. - Stipa bavarica
- Stipa borysthenicaStipa borysthenicaStipa borysthenica is a perennial bunchgrass species in the family Poaceae, native to Europe and Asia. It is a common species in wide area of Kazakhstan and southern parts of Russia. In many European countries it is a post-glacial relict and protected endangered plant....
- Stipa brachytricha – Korean feather grass
- Stipa canadensis
- Stipa capensisStipa capensisStipa capensis is an annual grass from family Poaceae.In Persian it is called Bahman and is probably the same plant which was used in the Persian festivity of Bahmanagān....
- Stipa capillataStipa capillataStipa capillata is a perennial bunchgrass species in the family Poaceae, native to Europe and Asia.- References :* * * Sp. pl. ed. 2, 1:116. 1762...
L. - Stipa comata
- Stipa grandis P.A.Smirn.
- Stipa joannis Čelak.
- Stipa leptoglumaStipa leptoglumaStipa leptogluma is a species of grass in the Poaceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.-Source:* Laegaard, S. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Stipa mexicanaStipa mexicanaStipa mexicana is a flowering plant in the family Poaceae, which grows in the poor soil on the top of hillocks to escape competition from other faster growing species....
- Stipa milleanaStipa milleanaStipa milleana is a species of grass in the Poaceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.-References:* Laegaard, S. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Stipa mollis
- Stipa pennataStipa pennataStipa pennata, common name feather grass, is a flowering plant in the family Poaceae, which is grown as an ornamental plant for its feathery flowering spikes....
L. – feather grass - Stipa sparteaStipa sparteaStipa spartea is a grass species in the genus Stipa and is often called porcupine grass.The seeds are needle like with sharp tips and long tails. The tails are composed of two different strands that dry at different rates and twist around each other, causing the sharp head of the seed to be driven...
– porcupine grass - Stipa tirsaStipa tirsaStipa tirsa is a species of perennial grass native to Europe and temperate Asia. Culms are 40–100 cm long; leaf blades are filiform, involute, and 1–2 mm wide.-References and external links:* * *...
Steven - Stipa tulcanensisStipa tulcanensisStipa tulcanensis is a species of grass in the Poaceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.-Source:* Laegaard, S. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Stipa viridula – green needle grass
Formerly placed here
- Achnatherum aridumAchnatherum aridumAchnatherum aridum is a species of grass known by the common name Mormon needlegrass. It is native to the southwestern United States from the Mojave Desert in California east to Colorado and New Mexico.-Description:...
(as S. arida) - Achnatherum calamagrostisAchnatherum calamagrostisAchnatherum calamagrostis, also termed Stipa calamagrostis, is a species of grass known by the common names spear grass, needle grass, and silver spike grass. It is an ornamental grass native to the clearings in the mountains of central and southern Europe, which grows in mounds of blue-green...
(L.) P.Beauv. (as S. calamagrostis (L.) Wahlenb.) - Achnatherum robustumAchnatherum robustumAchnatherum robustum, commonly known as sleepy grass, is a perennial plant in the Poaceae or grass family.It grows on dry soil in the U.S...
(Vasey) Barkworth (as S. robusta (Vasey) Scribn.) - Achnatherum splendens (Trin.) Nevski (as S. splendens Trin.)
- Celtica gigantea (Link) F. M. Vazquez & Barkworth (as S. gigantea Link)
- Jarava ichu Ruiz & Pav. (as S. ichu (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth)
- Macrochloa tenacissimaEspartoEsparto, or esparto grass, also known as "halfah grass" or "needle grass", Macrochloa tenacissima and Stipa tenacissima, is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula employed for crafts .-Esparto paper:It is also used for fiber production for paper...
(Loefl. ex L.) Kunth (as S. tenacissima Loefl. ex L.) - Nassella leucotricha (Trin. & Rupr.) R.W.Pohl (as S. leucotricha Trin. & Rupr.)
- Nassella pulchraNassella pulchraNassella pulchra is a species of grass known by the common name purple needlegrass. It is native to California, where it occurs throughout the coastal hills, valleys, and mountain ranges, as well as the Sacramento Valley and parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and Baja California.It grows in many...
(Hitchc.) Barkworth (as S. pulchra Hitchc.) - Oryzopsis hymenoides (as S. hymenoides)