Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

Jarava ichu

Jarava ichu, commonly known as Peruvian feathergrass, ichhu, paja brava, paja ichu, or simply ichu, is a grass species in the family Poaceae native to the Americas. It is found growing in a vast area: Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile, and Argentina. It is a common grass of the Andean altiplano. It is used as fodder for livestock.

Last revised
Jul 17, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
238 w
Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Jarava ichu
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Jarava
Species:
J. ichu
Binomial name
Jarava ichu
Synonyms12
  • Stipa ichu (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth
  • Stipa jarava P.Beauv.
  • Jarava arundinacea Willd. ex Steud.
  • Jarava eriostachya (Kunth) Peñail.
  • Jarava usitata Pers.
  • Stipa eriostachya Kunth
  • Stipa gynerioides Phil.
  • Stipa ichu var. gynerioides (Phil.) Hack.
  • Stipa ichu f. interrupta Hack.
  • Stipa liebmannii E.Fourn.

Jarava ichu, commonly known as Peruvian feathergrass,3 ichhu, paja brava, paja ichu, or simply ichu (Quechua for straw),4 is a grass species in the family Poaceae native to the Americas. It is found growing in a vast area: Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile, and Argentina.2 It is a common grass of the Andean altiplano. It is used as fodder for livestock.

Under the synonym Stipa ichu, it has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.5

References

References

  1. "Jarava ichu Ruiz & Pav". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  2. "Jarava ichu". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
  3. NRCS. "Stipa ichus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  4. "Perou.org". www.perou.org. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  5. "Stipa ichu". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
External links