Poa fax is a species of grass in the family Poaceae, native to the Australian states of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria.[1] This species has the shortest scientific name of any plant. Poa (πόα) is Greek for "fodder", and fax is Latin for "torch" or "flame", referring to "its dense, spike-like inflorescence which resembles a torch with ascending tongues of flame".[2] While the name Poa fax is accepted as valid by Flora of Australia,[3] and some databases reflect this, such as POWO,[1] WCSP[4] and FloraBase,[5] other sources such as Tropicos,[6] WFO[7] and GrassBase[8] consider it a synonym of Neuropoa fax.[9]
| Poa fax | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Pooideae |
| Genus: | Poa |
| Species: | P. fax
|
| Binomial name | |
| Poa fax | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
References edit
- ^ a b c "Poa fax J.H.Willis & Court". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ Willis, J.H.; Court, A.B. (1955). "Changes in the nomenclature of three Victorian monocotyledons". Muelleria. 1 (1): 45. doi:10.5962/p.171606. S2CID 250997448 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ Walsh, N.G.; Weiller, C.M.; Thompson, I.R. (2009). "Poa". In Wilson, A. (ed.). Flora of Australia. Vol. 44A. Poaceae 2. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. pp. 1–410. ISBN 978-0-643-09629-5.
- ^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew".
- ^ "Florabase—the Western Australian Flora".
- ^ "Tropicos | Name - Neuropoa fax (Willis & Court) Clayton".
- ^ "Poa fax J.H.Willis & Court".
- ^ "RBG Kew: GrassBase - Neuropoa fax Description".
- ^ Clayton, W. D. (1985). "Miscellaneous notes on Pooid grasses". Kew Bull. 40 (4): 727–729. Bibcode:1985KewBu..40..727C. doi:10.2307/4109854. JSTOR 4109854.