Panicum

{{Short description|Genus of grasses}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Panicum virgatum.jpg |image_caption = ''P. virgatum'' |display_parents = 4 |taxon = Panicum |authority = L. |synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>{{cite POWO |id=1194715-2 |title=''Panicum'' L. |access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref> |synonyms = * ''Aconisia'' J.R.Grande * ''Arthragrostis'' Lazarides * ''Chasea'' Nieuwl. * ''Eatonia'' Raf. * ''Eriolytrum'' Desv. ex Kunth, not validly publ. * ''Monachne'' P.Beauv. * ''Phanopyrum'' (Raf.) Nash * ''Polyneura'' Peter 1930, illegitimate homonym not Kylin 1924 * ''Psilochloa'' Launert * ''Talasium'' Spreng. * ''Yakirra'' Lazarides & R.D.Webster }}

'''''Panicum''''' ('''panicgrass''')<ref>{{PLANTS|id=PANIC|taxon=Panicum|access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> is a large genus of about 250 species of grasses mostly native to tropical regions.

== Description == The flowers are produced in a well-developed panicle often up to {{cvt|60|cm}} in length with numerous seeds, which are {{cvt|1|–|6|mm|2}} long and {{cvt|1|–|2|mm|2}} broad. The fruits are developed from a two-flowered spikelet. Only the upper floret of each spikelet is fertile; the lower floret is sterile or staminate. Both glumes are present and well developed.<ref>''Flora of China'' [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=123762 Vol. 22 Page 504 <big>黍属</big> shu shu ''Panicum'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 55. 1753. ]</ref><ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=123762 Flora of Pakistan]</ref><ref>[http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/floraspecie.php?genere=Panicum Altervista Flora Italiana, genere ''Panicum''] includes photos and distribution maps of several species</ref><ref>[http://bonap.net/NAPA/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Panicum Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps]</ref><ref>Valdés-Reyna, J., F. O. Zuloaga, O. Morrone & L. Aragón Melchor. 2009. [http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0366-21282009000100006 "El género ''Panicum'' (Poaceae: Panicoideae) en el noreste de México".] ''Boletín de la Sociedad Botánica de México'' 84: 59–82.</ref><ref>Morrone, O., A. M. Antón & F. O. Zuloaga. 1995. "''Axonopus''". ''Flora Fanerogámica Argentina''. 19(1): 11–16</ref>

== Taxonomy == Phylogenetic studies found the genus as previously circumscribed was polyphyletic, and several species have been reassigned to other genera. Most species in section ''Stolonifera'' of subgenus ''Phanopyrum'' were transferred to ''Ocellochloa'', while ''P. venezuelae'' was placed in the new monotypic genus ''Drakkaria''.<ref>Christian Silva, Júlia da Costa Hillmann, Juan Manuel Acosta, Reyjane Patrícia Oliveira, Fernando Omar Zuloaga, One more step into the resolution of ''Panicum'' (Poaceae) polyphyly: Drakkaria, a new segregate genus from neotropical Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests, ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'', Volume 207, Issue 3, March 2025, Pages 208–224, https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae044</ref>

Well-known species include ''P. miliaceum'' (proso millet) and ''P. virgatum'' (switchgrass).

=== Selected species === {{See also|List of Panicum species}} {{columns-list|colwidth=30em| * ''Panicum amarum'' {{Au|Elliott}} – bitter panicum (North America) * ''Panicum capillare'' {{Au|L.}} – witchgrass, tumbleweed<ref>*{{cite book|last1=Britton |first1=Nathaniel |first2=Addison |last2=Brown |author2-link=Addison Brown |title=An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions From Newfoundland to the Parallel of the Southern Boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean Westward to the 102d Meridian |url=https://archive.org/details/anillustratedfl01browgoog |volume=I, Ophioglossaceae to Aizoaceae |year=1896 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |pages=[https://archive.org/details/anillustratedfl01browgoog/page/n625 612]}} page 123</ref> (North America) * ''Panicum coloratum'' {{Au|L.}} – kleingrass, coolah grass, Bambatsi panic (Africa) * ''Panicum decompositum'' {{Au|R.Br.}} – native millet (Australia) * ''Panicum dichotomiflorum'' {{Au|Michx.}} – fall panicgrass (North America) * ''Panicum effusum'' {{Au|R.Br.}} – hairy panic (Australia, New Guinea) * ''Panicum fauriei'' {{Au|Hitchc.}} – Faurie's panicgrass (endemic to Hawai'i) * ''Panicum flexile'' {{Au|(Gattinger) Scribn.}} – wiry panicgrass (eastern North America) * ''Panicum hallii'' {{Au|Vasey}} – Hall's panicgrass (North America) * ''Panicum havardii'' {{Au|Vasey}} – Havard's panicgrass (North America) * ''Panicum hemitomon'' {{Au|Schult.}} – maidencane (Americas) * ''Panicum hillmanii'' {{Au|Chase}} – Hillmann's panicgrass (North America) * ''Panicum hirticaule'' {{Au|J.Presl}} – Mexican panicgrass (Americas) * ''Panicum lycopodioides'' {{Au|Bory ex Nees}} – false club-moss panic grass (Réunion) * ''Panicum miliaceum'' {{Au|L.}} – proso millet, common millet (domesticated) * ''Panicum niihauense'' {{Au|H.St.John}} – ''lau 'ehu'' (endemic to Hawai'i) * ''Panicum queenslandicum'' {{Au|Domin}} * ''Panicum repens'' {{Au|L.}} – torpedo grass (widely introduced) * ''Panicum rigidum'' {{Au|Balf.f.}} (endemic to Socotra) * ''Panicum simile'' {{Au|Domin}} – two colour panic (Australia) * ''Panicum socotranum'' {{Au|Cope}} (endemic to Socotra) * ''Panicum sumatrense'' {{Au|Roth}} – little millet (Asia) * ''Panicum turgidum'' {{Au|Forssk.}} – ''afezu'' (Africa, Asia) * ''Panicum urvilleanum'' {{Au|Kunth}} – desert panicgrass (North America) * ''Panicum virgatum'' {{Au|L.}} – switchgrass (North America) }}

==== Formerly placed here ==== Species formerly classified in genus ''Panicum'' include: {{columns-list|colwidth=30em| * ''Acostia gracilis'', as ''Panicum acostia'' {{Au|R.D.Webster}} * ''Cnidochloa longipedicellata'' {{small|(Swallen) Zuloaga}}, as ''Panicum longipedicellatum'' {{small|Swallen}} * ''Coleataenia abscissa'' {{Au|(Swallen) LeBlond}}, as ''Panicum abscissum'' {{Au|Swallen}} * ''Coleataenia anceps'' {{Au|(Michx.) Soreng}}, as ''Panicum anceps'' {{Au|Michx.}} * ''Drakkaria venezuelae'' {{small|(Hack.) C.Silva & Zuloaga}}, as ''Panicum venezuelae'' {{small|Hack.}} * ''Echinochloa colona'', as ''Panicum colonum'' {{Au|L.}} – jungle rice * ''Echinochloa crus-galli'', as ''Panicum crus-galli'' {{Au|L.}} – barnyard grass * ''Hopia obtusa'' {{Au|(Kunth) Zuloaga & Morrone}}, as ''Panicum obtusum'' {{Au|Kunth}} – vine mesquite grass * ''Janochloa antidotalis'' {{small|(Retz.) Zuloaga & Delfini}}, as ''Panicum antidotale'' {{Au|Retz.}} – blue panicum * ''Megathyrsus maximus'' {{small|(Jacq.) B.K.Simon & S.W.L.Jacobs}}, as ''Panicum maximum'' {{Au|Jacq.}} – Guinea grass or buffalo grass * ''Stolonochloa pygmaea'' {{small|(R.Br.) E.J.Thomps.}}, as ''Panicum pygmaeum'' {{Au|R.Br.}} – Australian native dwarf panicum or rainforest panicum * ''Urochloa panicoides'', as ''Panicum helopus'' {{Au|Trin.}} – annual signal grass }}

== Distribution == The genus is native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone.<ref name="powo" /> They are often large, annual or perennial grasses, growing to {{cvt|1|–|3|m|ft|0}} tall.<ref>[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9308504#page/169/mode/1up Freckmann, R. W. & M. G. Lelong. 2002. Nomenclatural changes and innovations in ''Panicum'' and ''Dichanthelium'' (Poaceae: Paniceae)]. ''Sida'' 20(1): 161–174</ref><ref>Valdes, B. & H. Scholz. 2006. "The Euro+Med treatment of Gramineae - a generic synopsis and some new names". ''Willdenowia'' 36(2): 657–669</ref>

Australia has 29 native and 9 introduced species of ''Panicum''.<ref>''Grasses of the Tweed Valley of NSW: An introductory field guide to locally common grasses: native and introduced'', compiled by Penny Watsford, Nullum Publications, 2004 {{ISBN|0-9756823-0-X}})</ref><ref>[http://ausgrass2.myspecies.info/content/panicum-0 Ausgrass2, Grasses of Australia]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:apni.taxon:411937#tab_classification |title=Atlas of Living Australia |access-date=2015-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527034556/http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:apni.taxon:411937#tab_classification |archive-date=2016-05-27 |url-status=dead | publisher = Atlas of Living Australia }}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="4"> File:Panicum capillare NPS-1.jpg|''P. capillare'' File:Panicum lycopiodoides detail 2.JPG|''P. lycopodioides'' File:Panicum miliaceum0.jpg|''P. miliaceum'' (Proso) File:Panicum phragmitoides MS 1830.JPG|''P. phragmitoides'' File:Starr 050902-4349 Panicum repens.jpg|''P. repens'' File:Starr 050315-5135 Panicum torridum.jpg|''P. torridum'' File:Starr 020112-0032 Panicum xerophilum.jpg|''P. xerophyllum'' File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - L.1295307 - Panicum trichoides Sw. - Gramineae - Plant type specimen.jpeg|''P. trichoides''|alt=''P. trichoides'', isotype herbarium sheet </gallery>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060904195334/http://utc.usu.edu/keys/PanicumDichanthelium/Panicum_Dichanthelium.html Interactive Key to ''Panicum'' of North America]

Category:Panicum Category:Poaceae genera Category:Taxa described in 1753 Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus