Soft-Grass

Holcus (soft-grass or velvetgrass) is a genus of African and Eurasian plants in the oat tribe within the grass family.

Holcus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora lixella.

Species

Holcus annuus - Mediterranean and nearby areas from Portugal + Morocco to Caucasus

Holcus azoricus - Azores - possibly a hybrid of H. lanatus and H. rigidus

Holcus caespitosus - Sierra Nevada in southern Spain

Holcus gayanus - Spain, Portugal

Holcus grandiflorus - Spain

Holcus × hybridus - France, Germany, British Isles -- H. lanatus × H. mollis

Holcus lanatus - Europe, Mediterranean + nearby areas from Iceland to Canary Isles to Caucasus; naturalized in North + South America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, various islands

Holcus mollis - Algeria, Tunisia, most of Europe; naturalized in Australia, new Zealand, scattered locales in North America

Holcus notarisii - Macedonia, Italy

Holcus rigidus - Azores

Holcus setiger - Cape Prov of South Africa

formerly included

Several species now regarded as better suited to other genera; Andropogon Arrhenatherum Arundinella Bothriochloa Capillipedium Centotheca Chasmanthium Chrysopogon Deschampsia Heteropogon Hierochloe Pennisetum Pentameris Pseudoraphis Rostraria Sorghum Sporobolus Ventenata