Stipa

Stipa is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species formerly assigned to Stipa, which have since been reclassified into new genera.

Many species are important forage crops. Several species such as Stipa brachytricha, S. arundinacea, S. splendens, S. calamagrostis, S. gigantea and S. pulchra are used as ornamental plants. One former species, esparto grass (Macrochloa tenacissima), is used for crafts and extensively in paper making.

It is a coarse grass with inrolled leaves and a panicle patterned inflorescence.

Ecology
Species of the genus Stipa can occur in grasslands or in savanna habitats. Certain specific prairie plant associations are dominated by grasses of the genus Stipa, which genus often lends its name to the terminology of some prairie types. In some areas of the western United States grasses of the genus Stipa form a significant part of the understory of Blue Oak savannas, and were even a more important element prehistorically before the invasion of many European grasses.

Selected species

 * Stipa avenacea – black oat grass
 * Stipa baicalensis Roshev.
 * Stipa barbata Desf.
 * Stipa bavarica
 * Stipa borysthenica
 * Stipa brachytricha – Korean feather grass
 * Stipa canadensis
 * Stipa capensis
 * Stipa capillata L.
 * Stipa coreana Honda – Korean needlegrass
 * Stipa grandis P.A.Smirn.
 * Stipa joannis Čelak.
 * Stipa leptogluma
 * Stipa mexicana
 * Stipa milleana
 * Stipa mollis
 * Stipa pennata L. – feather grass
 * Stipa pulcherrima
 * Stipa speciosa
 * Stipa tirsa Steven
 * Stipa tulcanensis
 * Stipa turkestanica Hack.
 * Stipa zalesskii Wilensky

Formerly placed here

 * Achnatherum calamagrostis (L.) P.Beauv. (as S. calamagrostis (L.) Wahlenb. )
 * Achnatherum robustum (Vasey) Barkworth (as S. robusta (Vasey) Scribn. )
 * Anemanthele lessoniana (Steud.) Veldkamp (as Stipa arundinacea Hook.f.)
 * Celtica gigantea (Link) F. M. Vazquez & Barkworth (as S. gigantea Link )
 * Eriocoma arida (as S. arida)
 * Hesperostipa comata (as S. comata)
 * Hesperostipa spartea (Trin.) Barkworth (as Stipa spartea Trin.)
 * Jarava ichu Ruiz & Pav. (as S. ichu (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth )
 * Macrochloa tenacissima (Loefl. ex L.) Kunth (as S. tenacissima Loefl. ex L. )
 * Nassella leucotricha (Trin. & Rupr.) R.W.Pohl (as S. leucotricha Trin. & Rupr. )
 * Nassella pulchra (Hitchc.) Barkworth (as S. pulchra Hitchc. )
 * Nassella viridula (Trin.) Barkworth (as S. viridula Trin.)
 * Neotrinia splendens (Trin.) M.Nobis, P.D.Gudkova & A.Nowak (as S. splendens Trin. )
 * Oryzopsis hymenoides (Ricker.) (as S. hymenoides Roem. & Schult.)