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Miscanthus sacchariflorus

Miscanthus is a genus of C4 perennial rhizomatous grasses native to East Asia and Oceania, and naturally adapted to a wide range of climate zones and land types. Miscanthus sacchariflorus is among the most widely distributed species within the genus. It originated in the Yellow Sea region of China and can be predominantly found in cool latitudes of East Asia with varying ploidy. M. sacchariflorus occurs in both diploid (2n = 38) and tetraploid (2n = 76) forms, where tetraploid M. sacchariflorus genotypes originated by autopolyploidy. M. sacchariflorus probably has the greatest winter hardiness among all the Saccharinae. Natural interspecific Miscanthus hybrids are commonly observed, even between individuals of different ploidy. For example, introgression of M. sacchariflorus is often found among cultivated European M. sinensis ecotypes. Furthermore, M. x giganteus, a sterile triploid hybrid resulting from the hybridization between M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus, is the predominant commercially grown species owing to its high biomass productivity and low chemical input requirements. The common occurrence of hybridization events and variable ploidy are challenging to the improvement of these bioenergy grasses and increase the need for genomic resources from different Miscanthus species. A chromosomal-scale reference genome using a doubled-haploid M. sinensis line was recently published.