Erianthus (plant)
| Erianthus | |
|---|---|
| Erianthus giganteus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Supertribe: | Andropogonodae |
| Tribe: | Andropogoneae |
| Genus: | Erianthus Michx. |
Erianthus is a genus of tall, perennial grasses in the Poaceae family. It includes nine species native to the Americas, ranging from the eastern and southeastern United States to parts of Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and to Brazil to northeastern Argentina.[1]
Taxonomy
Erianthus belongs to the Andropogoneae tribe and within that tribe they belong to the saccharine subtribe.[2] The Genus Erianthus was established by Michaux in Flora Boreali-Americana in 1803 . [3]It is a primitve genus of the "saccharine complex" and is widely distributed in America, Mediterranean, India, China, South East Asia, and New Guinea.[4]
Description
Erianthus is a native Ornamental grass in the Poaceae family and is closely related to sugarcane. They are found naturally in wetlands, marshes, and ditches. Erianthus can grow 15'-20' tall in tropical areas and have large arching leaf blades with sharp edges.
The leaves of the Erianthus plant are long and narrow, and are located on the lower stem. [5] The leaves can be 4-5ft across and are medium gray-green with a white mid vein. The leaves are bilaterally serrated and have fine hairs. The top surface of the leaf near the base of the blade is covered with long, fuzzy, and tan-yellowish hairs that also cover the ligule.[6]
Habitat
Erianthus is usually found in dry to moist fields, meadows, roadsides, and woodland influenced by incendiary fires[7]. They need 6 or more hours of direct sunlight everyday. [8]
Flowers
The flower heads are pale, silvery, feathery plumes at the tips of tall flower stalks that appear in late summer and early fall. The inflorescence occurs at the stem tip[9].
Uses
Erianthus has a high biomass productivity, is drought tolerant, and disease resistant.[10] Breeders use Erianthus to transfer beneficial traits to sugarcane such as genetic diversity and stress intolerance which makes the crop more productive.[11] Erianthus giganteus contributes to the wetland ecosystem by loosing portions of its leaf and culm biomass during senescence. This supports rapid microbial composition because the carbon dioxide and nutrients are released before the plant reaches the surface.[12]
Seed dispersal
The main seed dispersal mechanism is wind and water.[13]
Species
Nine species are accepted.[1]
- Erianthus alopecuroides (L.) Elliott
- Erianthus angustifolius Nees
- Erianthus asper Nees
- Erianthus brevibarbis Michx.
- Erianthus coarctatus Fernald
- Erianthus contortus Baldwin ex Elliott
- Erianthus giganteus (Walter) P.Beauv.
- Erianthus strictus Baldwin
- Erianthus trinii (Hack.) Hack.
References
- ^ a b "Erianthus Michx". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ "Erianthus (Plumegrass) - FSUS". fsus.ncbg.unc.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ Jackson, P.; Henry, R. J. (2011), Kole, Chittaranjan (ed.), "Erianthus", Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources: Industrial Crops, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 97–107, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-21102-7_5, ISBN 978-3-642-21102-7, retrieved 2026-03-02
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link) - ^ Amalraj, V. Alfonse; Balasundaram, N. (2006-02-01). "On the Taxonomy of the Members of 'Saccharum Complex'". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 53 (1): 35–41. doi:10.1007/s10722-004-0581-1. ISSN 1573-5109.
- ^ "Erianthus giganteus (Giant Plumegrass, Giant Plume Grass, Sugarcane, Sugarcane Plumegrass, Sugarcane Plume Grass) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ^ Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board (September 2014). "Draft:Written Findings of the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board" (PDF). nwcb.wa.gov.
- ^ "Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Erianthus giganteus (Walt.) P. Beauv". vaplantatlas.org. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Erianthus giganteus (Giant Plumegrass, Giant Plume Grass, Sugarcane, Sugarcane Plumegrass, Sugarcane Plume Grass) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board (April 2007). "Ravenna Grass-Options for control" (PDF). Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. Retrieved April 2007.
{{cite web}}:|archive-url=requires|archive-date=(help); Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ^ "JIRCAS-Erianthus Database | 国際農研". Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences | JIRCAS. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ Kui, Ling; Majeed, Aasim; Wang, Xianhong; Yang, Zijiang; Chen, Jian; He, Lilian; Di, Yining; Li, Xuzhen; Qian, Zhenfeng; Jiao, Yinming; Wang, Guoyun; Liu, Lufeng; Xu, Rong; Gu, Shujie; Yang, Qinghui (2023-07-10). "A chromosome-level genome assembly for Erianthus fulvus provides insights into its biofuel potential and facilitates breeding for improvement of sugarcane". Plant Communications. 4 (4). doi:10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100562. ISSN 2590-3462. PMID 36814384.
- ^ Kuehn, K.A.; Gessner, M.O.; Wetzel, R.G.; Suberkropp, K. (1999-07-01). "Decomposition and CO2 Evolution from Standing Litter of the Emergent Macrophyte Erianthus giganteus". Microbial Ecology. 38 (1): 50–57. doi:10.1007/s002489900154. ISSN 1432-184X.
- ^ "Saccharum ravennae Profile – California Invasive Plant Council". Retrieved 2026-03-02.