Coleataenia is a small genus of grasses belonging to the tribe Paniceae within the family Poaceae (order Poales). The genus was established by Robert J. Soreng in 2010 following a reorganisation of the large and polyphyletic genus Panicum. When Zuloaga, Scataglini, and Morrone proposed moving Panicum sections Agrostoidea and Tenera into a new genus they named Sorengia, Soreng found that the name Sorengia was nomenclaturally invalid — a synonym of one of the transferred species already belonged to the existing genus Coleataenia — and accordingly re-published the genus under that name.
Members of Coleataenia are native grasses of the Americas, commonly known as panic grasses. The genus encompasses several species with common names reflecting their morphology and distribution, including beaked panic grass (C. anceps), long-leaved panic grass (C. longifolia), redtop panic grass (C. rigidula), and southeastern panic grass (C. tenera). Several species have recognised subspecies, reflecting regional variation across their North American ranges.
Taxonomy Notes
Coleataenia was segregated from the large genus Panicum in 2010 by Robert J. Soreng, after an earlier proposal to name the new genus Sorengia (Zuloaga, Scataglini & Morrone) was found to be nomenclaturally invalid. The name Coleataenia takes precedence because a synonym of one of the transferred species was already placed in that genus. The genus sits in the tribe Paniceae of the grass family Poaceae.
Distribution
Species of Coleataenia are native to the Americas, primarily occurring across eastern and southern North America. Individual species span a range of habitats from the southeastern United States westward, with some taxa also recorded in Central and South America.
