Melica

Melica is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world.^[1]

Melic grasses are clumping to short-rhizomatous grasses. They have flowering culms up to 250 cm (98 in) tall bearing spikelets of papery flowers. The spikelets have between one and seven fertile flowers with a rudimentary structure at the distal end composed of one to four sterile florets.^[1] Some species of melic have corms, lending them the name oniongrass.^[2]

The genus is most diverse in South America and temperate Asia.^[3] Eight species are endemic to China.^[4] In North America, most species occur west of the Mississippi River, with exceptions being Melica mutica and M. nitens which occur throughout much of the southeast and lower Midwest respectively.^[1][5]

Melica uniflora spikelet

Corm of Melica spectabilis, purple oniongrass

Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea' cultivar

Melica picta in situ