Merostachys

Merostachys
Merostachys procerrima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Bambusoideae
Tribe:	Bambuseae
Subtribe:	Arthrostylidiinae
Genus:	Merostachys Spreng. 1824 not Nakai 1935 (Crassulaceae)
Type species
Merostachys speciosa Spreng.
Synonyms [1]
BrasilocalamusNakai

Merostachys is a Neotropical genus of bamboo in the grass family. ^{[2] [3]} It is found in South America and Central America from Belize to Paraguay. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

Species

59 species are accepted. ^{[8] [9]}

• Merostachys abadiana Send.
• Merostachys annulifera Send.
• Merostachys argentea Send.
• Merostachys argyronema Lindm.
• Merostachys bifurcata Send.
• Merostachys brevigluma Send.
• Merostachys brevispica Munro
• Merostachys burmanii Send.
• Merostachys cachimboensis Lopes-Neto & P.L.Viana
• Merostachys calderoniana Send.
• Merostachys caucaiana Send.
• Merostachys ciliata McClure & L.B.Sm.
• Merostachys claussenii Munro
• Merostachys delicatula R.S.Andrade, Pianiss., Vinic.-Silva & R.P.Oliveira
• Merostachys espessae Vinic.-Silva, L.G.Clark & Santos-Gonç.
• Merostachys exserta Munro
• Merostachys filgueirasii Send.
• Merostachys fimbriata Send.
• Merostachys fimbriolaminata Vinic.-Silva, Cupert.-Eisenl. & Santos-Gonç.
• Merostachys fischeriana Rupr. ex Döll
• Merostachys fistulosa Döll
• Merostachys glauca McClure & L.B.Sm.
• Merostachys judziewiczii Vinic.-Silva, L.G.Clark & Santos-Gonç.
• Merostachys kleinii Send.
• Merostachys kunthii Rupr.
• Merostachys lage-vianae Vinic.-Silva, L.G.Clark & Santos-Gonç.
• Merostachys lanata Send.
• Merostachys latifolia R.W.Pohl
• Merostachys leptophylla Send.
• Merostachys magellanica Send.
• Merostachys magnispicula Send.
• Merostachys maguireorum McClure
• Merostachys medullosa Send.
• Merostachys mexicana Ruiz-Sanchez & L.G.Clark
• Merostachys multiramea Hack.
• Merostachys neesii Rupr.
• Merostachys nigricans I.Jiménez & Viníc.-Silva
• Merostachys pauciflora Swallen
• Merostachys petiolata Döll
• Merostachys pilifera Send.
• Merostachys pluriflora Munro ex E.G.Camus
• Merostachys polyantha McClure
• Merostachys ramosa Pianiss., Vinic.-Silva & L.G.Clark
• Merostachys procerrima Send.
• Merostachys ramosissima Send.
• Merostachys retrorsa McClure
• Merostachys riedeliana Rupr. ex Döll
• Merostachys rondoniensis Send.
• Merostachys scandens Send.
• Merostachys sellovii Munro
• Merostachys skvortzovii Send.
• Merostachys soderstromii Vinic.-Silva, L.G.Clark & Santos-Gonç.
• Merostachys sparsiflora Rupr.
• Merostachys speciosa Spreng.
• Merostachys tatianae Santos-Gonç., Carv.-Okano & Filg.
• Merostachys ternata Nees
• Merostachys vestita McClure & L.B.Sm.
• Merostachys ximenae Pianiss., Vinic.-Silva & L.G.Clark
• Merostachys yungasensis Lizarazu

Formerly included ^[1]

see Athroostachys Rhipidocladum

• Merostachys capitata - Athroostachys capitata
• Merostachys racemiflora - Rhipidocladum racemiflorum

References

1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. Sprengel, Curt Polycarp Joachim. 1824. Systema Vegetabilium, editio decima sexta 1: 132, 249 in Latin
3. Tropicos, Merostachys Spreng.
4. Sendulsky, T. 1997. Twelve new species of Merostachys (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) from Brazil. Novon 7(3): 285–307
5. Filgueiras, T. S. & A. P. Santos-Gonçalves. 2004. A checklist of the basal grasses and bamboos in Brazil (Poaceae). Journal of the American Bamboo Society 18(1): 7–18
6. Londoño, X. & L. G. Clark. 1998. Eight new taxa and two new reports of Bambuseae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Colombia. Novon 8(4): 408–428
7. McClure, F. A. & L.B. Smith. 1967. Gramíneas -- Suplemento. Bambúseas. 1(GRAM–Supl.): 1–78. In P. R. Reitz (ed.) Flora Ilustrada Catarinense. Herbário "Barbosa Rodrigues", Itajaí, Brasil
8. "Merostachys Spreng". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 February 2026.
9. Judziewicz, E. J. 2000. Merostachys. In Catalogue of New World Grasses (Poaceae): I. Subfamilies Anomochlooideae, Bambusoideae, Ehrhartoideae, and Pharoideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 39: 71–75