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Imperata is a small but widespread genus of tropical and subtropical grasses, commonly known as satintails.[1][2]
| Satintails | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Imperata cylindrica | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Supertribe: | Andropogonodae |
| Tribe: | Andropogoneae |
| Subtribe: | Saccharinae |
| Genus: | Imperata Cirillo |
| Type species | |
| Imperata arundinacea | |
Satintail grass species are perennial rhizomatous herbs with solid, erect stems and silky inflorescences. The best known species is Imperata cylindrica, which is recognized as a devastating noxious weed in many places and cultivated as an ornamental plant in others.[3][4][5][6]
The genus is named after Ferrante Imperato, a Renaissance apothecary who lived in Naples in the late-16th and early-17th centuries. His collection included a herbarium.[7][8][9]
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As of November 2022[update], Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[10]
- Imperata brasiliensis - South + Central America, West Indies, southern Mexico
- Imperata brevifolia - southwestern US (CA AZ NV UT NM TX)
- Imperata cheesemanii - Kermadec Islands (part of New Zealand)
- Imperata condensata - Argentina, Chile
- Imperata conferta - plumegrass, kunay grass - Southeast Asia, Papuasia, Micronesia
- Imperata contracta - guayanilla - South + Central America, West Indies, southern Mexico
- Imperata cylindrica - bladygrass, cogongrass, speargrass, silver-spike - Africa, southern Europe, southwestern Asia; introduced in central and eastern Asia, North America, various islands
- Imperata flavida - Hainan Province in China
- Imperata minutiflora - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina
- Imperata parodii - southern Chile
- Imperata tenuis - Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Corrientes Province of Argentina
Formerly Included
Various species have been relocated to other genera, such as Cinna, Lagurus, Miscanthus Saccharum, and Tripidium:[11]
- Imperata eulalioides - Miscanthus sacchariflorus
- Imperata exaltata - Tripidium arundinaceum
- Imperata klaga - Saccharum spontaneum
- Imperata ovata - Lagurus ovatus
- Imperata saccharifera - Cinna arundinacea
- Imperata sacchariflora - Miscanthus sacchariflorus
- Imperata sara - Tripidium bengalense (syn. Saccharum bengalense)
- Imperata spontanea - Saccharum spontaneum
- Imperata tinctoria - Miscanthus tinctorius
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