Megalachne

Not to be confused with Megarachne.

Megalachne is a genus of Chilean plants in the grass family, found only on the Juan Fernández Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Republic of Chile.^[3][4][5][6] It contains a single species, Megalachne berteroniana.^[7]

Megalachne
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Pooideae
Supertribe:	Poodae
Tribe:	Poeae
Subtribe:	Loliinae
Genus:	Megalachne Steud.
Species:	M. berteroniana
Binomial name
Megalachne berteroniana Steud.
Synonyms[1][2]
Pantathera Phil. Bromus fernandezianus (Phil.) Skottsb. Bromus megalachne Pilg. Pantathera avenacea Hemsl. Pantathera fernandeziana Phil.

A genetic analysis found it to be most closely related to the extinct Podophorus, also endemic to the Juan Fernández archipelago. This clade was in turn found to be nested within a paraphyletic Festuca, most closely related to F. pampeana of South America.^[8]

Several species formerly included in genus Megalachne are now considered synonyms of species placed in other genera:

• Megalachne dantonii Penneck. & Gl.Rojas – synonym of Festuca dolichathera Röser & Tkach^[9]
• Megalachne masafuerana (Skottsb. & Pilg.) Matthei – synonym of Festuca masafuerana (Skottsb. & Pilg.) Röser & Tkach^[10]
• Megalachne robinsoniana C.M.Peña – synonym of Festuca robinsoniana (C.M.Peña) Röser & Tkach^[11]
• Megalachne zeylanica Thwaites - synonym of Eriachne triseta Nees ex Steud.^[1]