Lygeum
genus of plants
Lygeum is a genus of Mediterranean plants in the grass family. It is placed in its own tribe Lygeeae, which is sister to Nardeae.
The only known species is Lygeum spartum, commonly called esparto grass, cord grass or albardine, which is distributed in arid areas around the Mediterranean Sea. It is similar in appearance to Macrochloa tenacissima and both species are used to produce a fibre product known as esparto or esparto grass.
Description
Lygeum spartum is a rhizomatous hermaphroditic, perennial grass growing up to 75 centimetres (30 in) tall. The rhizome and the base of the stem are scaly. The leaves are threadlike but stiff and tough, measuring up to 50 centimetres (20 in) long. The inflorescence is made up of a few long-haired spikelets each up to 4.5 centimetres (1+3⁄4 in) long. They are wrapped in a lance-shaped bract called a spatheole. This sheath is 3 to 9 centimetres (1+1⁄6 to 3+7⁄12 in) long and can have a sharp point.
The public source identifies “Lygeum” as genus of plants. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lygeum, genus and plants.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lygeum”, the useful work is to connect “genus of plants” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3310865. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Lygeum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.