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Erianthus alopecuroides

(L.) Ell.

Silver Plumegrass

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.150687
Element CodePMPOA58050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyPoaceae
GenusErianthus
Synonyms
Saccharum alopecuroides(L.) Nutt.Saccharum alopecuroideum(L.) Nutt.Saccharum alopecuroidum(L.) Nutt.
Other Common Names
silver plumegrass (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Taxonomic Comments
Weakley et al. (2025) treat New World plumegrasses in the genus Erianthus based on molecular evidence suggesting they are not congeneric with Saccharum. In contrast, FNA (2003, vol. 25) and Kartesz (1994) treat this species as Saccharum alopecuroides. Kartesz (1999) spells it Saccharum alopecuroidum. Bruce F. Hansen, curator of the herbarium at the University of South Florida, notes that the form of the epithet, alopecuroides, means the ending does not change when placed in a genus of a different gender (i.e., Saccharum vs. Erianthus), and Weakley et al. (2025) list that spelling as an orthographic variant.
Conservation Status
Review Date1990-03-12
Change Date1990-03-12
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MississippiSNRYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
MarylandS1Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
TexasSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
OklahomaSHYes
IndianaS3Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
IllinoisS2Yes
New JerseySHYes
MissouriSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
OhioS1Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
References (4)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxv + 781 pp.
  2. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  3. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  4. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).