Apluda is a monotypic genus of grasses in the family Poaceae (order Poales), containing the single species Apluda mutica L. (1753). Native across a wide swathe of tropical and subtropical Asia, it occurs from the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia through China (including Taiwan and Tibet), Japan (including the Ryukyu Islands), and Southeast Asia, extending into the Pacific islands of New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and the Caroline Islands, as well as the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion, and the Arabian Peninsula (Socotra and Oman).
As a member of the grass family, Apluda mutica is a perennial herbaceous plant with the characteristic narrow leaf blades, hollow culms (stems), and small wind-pollinated florets enclosed in spikelets that define the Poaceae. The genus was historically interpreted more broadly; species now placed in the genera Andropogon, Ichnanthus, Ischaemum, Polytoca, Themeda, and Zeugites were formerly included within Apluda before systematic revision reassigned them.
Distribution
Apluda mutica, the sole species in the genus, has a broad native range across tropical and subtropical Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, China, Taiwan, Tibet, Japan, and Southeast Asia. It also occurs on Pacific islands (New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Caroline Islands) and Indian Ocean islands (Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Socotra) as well as coastal Oman.
Taxonomy Notes
Apluda was formerly circumscribed more broadly; several species now recognised in the genera Andropogon, Ichnanthus, Ischaemum, Polytoca, Themeda, and Zeugites were once placed within Apluda before modern revisions reassigned them. The sole currently accepted species, Apluda mutica, was described by Linnaeus in 1753.
