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] | |
| |
Holcus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora lixella.
- 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 Isles 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 edit