Binomen Art – Helictotrichon

Helictotrichon sempervirens Trim and Spelling of Genus Name

Helictotrichon sempervirens – Blue Oat Grass – is a favorite in the Travelmarx yard. It’s easy to care for: we only need to give a late winter haircut. In the process, we stopped to work the blades of grass (it is in the family of true grasses, Poaceae) into the genus name, Helictotrichon, which according to Quattrocchi has the origin:

From the Greek heliktos “twisted, a spiral, rolled” (helisso “to wind, to turn
around”) and thrix, trichos “hair, spine,” an allusion to the twisted awns.

An awn is the bristle arising from a spikelet part. A spikelet is the basic unit of a grass inflorescence (flower). These definitions and the accompanying image of grass inflorescence parts are from Glossary of botanical terms used in the Poaceae.

Helictotrichon sempervirens Trim and Spelling of Genus Name

Grass Parts from Glossary of botanical terms used in the Poaceae.