Bouteloua

Bouteloua is a genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the Poaceae family with 29 accepted species. It is native to America where it is distributed from Canada to South America, with the largest number of species in the United States.

Description

They are annual or perennial plants, cespitose, stoloniferous or rhizomatous. Ligule a ciliated membrane; linear, flattened or folded sheets. Inflorescence a raceme of 1-numerous short, unilateral spikes; spikes breaking apart as a unit and spikelets sometimes also breaking apart above glumes; spikelets usually 3-numerous (rarely 1) per spike, borne in 2 rows along underside of spike rachis, usually in a clump. Spikelets laterally compressed, with 1 lower bisexual floret and 1-2 upper staminate or sterile florets variously modified or ornamented; glumes unequal to subequal, shorter than the florets, 1-veined, the lower one shorter than the upper one; lemma fertile cartilaginous, 3-veined, veins often excurrent as awns; palea 2-carinate, the apex 2-dentate or 2-mucronate; lodicules 2; stamens 3; styles 2. Fruit a caryopsis; embryo 1/2-3/4 the length of the caryopsis; dotted thread.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by Mariano Lagasca y Segura and published in Variedades de Ciencias, Literatura y Artes, 2(4,21), p. 134 in 1805. The type species is: Bouteloua racemosa Lag.

Based on molecular and morphological data, authors recommended in 1999 to include the genera Buchloë, Opizia, Cathestecum and some other taxa in the genus minors.

Cytology

The basic chromosome number of the genus is x = 10, with somatic chromosome numbers of 2n = 20, 40, 41, 42, 56, 60, 70 and 98, since there are diploid species and a polyploid series. Persistent nucleoli.

Etymology

The name of this genus was given by Mariano Lagasca y Segura in 1805 in honor of Claudio Boutelou and his brother Esteban Boutelou, two Spanish botanists of the 18th century XIX.

Accepted species

• Bouteloua alamosana Vasey
• American Bouteloua (L.)
• Bouteloua annua Swallen
• Bouteloua aristidoides (Kunth) Griseb.
• Bouteloua chondrosioides (Kunth) Benth. ex S.Watson
• Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.
• Bouteloua distans Swallen
• Bouteloua distichap (Kunth) Benth.
• Bouteloua eludens Griffiths
• Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth) Griffiths
• Bouteloua johnstonii Swallen
• Bouteloua juncea (P.Beauv.) Hitchc.
• Bouteloua juncifolia Lag.
• Bouteloua karwinskii (E.Fourn.) Griffiths
• Bouteloua longiseta Gould
• Bouteloua media (E.Fourn.) Gould & Kapadia
• Bouteloua megapotamica (Spreng) Kuntze
• Bouteloua pedicellata Swallen
• Bouteloua purpurea Gould " Kapadia
• Bouteloua radicosa (E.Fourn.) Griffiths
• Bouteloua ramosa Scribn. ex Vasey
• Bouteloua reflexa Swallen
• Bouteloua repens (Kunth) Scribn. Merr.
• Bouteloua rigidiseta (Steud.) Hitchc.
• Bouteloua triaena (Trin.) Scribn.
• Bouteloua uniflora Vasey
• Bouteloua vaneedenii Pilg.
• Bouteloua warnockii Gould " Kapadia
• Bouteloua williamsii Swallen

Economic importance

It is significant for its weed species: B. aristidoides, B. barbata, B. gracilis. Cultivated fodder: B. curtipendula etc. (Grass grasses). Native and important grass species: B. curtipendula, B. gracilis, B. hirsuta.