The Andropogoneae, sometimes called the sorghum tribe, are a large tribe of grasses (family Poaceae) with roughly 1,200 species in 90 genera, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. They include such important crops as maize (corn), sugarcane, and sorghum. All species in this tribe use C4 carbon fixation, which makes them competitive under warm, high-light conditions. Andropogoneae is classified in supertribe Andropogonodae, together with its sister group Arundinelleae. Subdivisions include 12 subtribes, but the position of several genera within them is still unresolved (incertae sedis). Hybridisation was probably important in the evolution of the Andropogoneae, and the tribe's systematics are still not completely resolved. From the morphological point of view, the merging of the former subtribe 'Dimeriinae' (having solitary spikelets borne in 'robust' raceme rachis ) into the subtribe Ischaeminae (having paired spikelets borne in 'fragile' raceme rachis) is doubtful. Affinities within the tribe are complex and still under investigation. Mr. Shahid Nawaz, a grass specialist at the Blatter Herbarium, is working on the phylogenomics of the tribe from India. According to preliminary phytogeographic research on the tribe by MS Kiran Raj, Peninsular India, home to 54 genera (incl. 9 endemic genera, viz., Bhidea, Lophopogon, Glyphochloa, Pogonachne, Trilobachne, Pseudodichanthium, Triplopogon, Nanooravia, and Manisuris) and roughly 500 species, is thought to be the primary or secondary centre of diversity for Andropogonoid grasses. About 40% of the representative taxa are exclusively endemic to peninsular India, with the highest species diversity and endemicity found in genera like Arthraxon, Chrysopogon, Cymbopogon, Dichanthium, Dimeria, Heteropogon, Ischaemum, Ophiorus, Sehima, and Themeda.

Description

Spikelets within the inflorescence (flower cluster) are generally arranged on spicate racemes in pairs. A fertile, unstalked spikelet is subtended by a sterile, stalked spikelet. In species where awns are present they are found on the fertile, unstalked spikelet as an extension of the lemma.

Subtribes and genera

2017 classification

Classification following Soreng et al. (2017): • ;incertae sedis • Apluda • Chrysopogon (syn. Vetiveria) • Eulaliopsis • Microstegium (syn. Ischnochloa) • Sehima • Thelepogon • ;Arthraxoninae • Arthraxon • ;Tripsacinae • Elionurus • Oxyrhachis • Rhytachne • Tripsacum • Urelytrum • Vossia • Zea (syn. Euchlaena) • ;Chionachninae • Chionachne • Cyathorhachis • Polytoca • Sclerachne • Trilobachne • ;Coicinae • Coix • ;Rottboelliinae • Chasmopodium • Eremochloa • Glyphochloa • Hackelochloa • Hemarthria • Heteropholis • Jardinea • Lasiurus • Loxodera • Manisuris • Mnesithea • Ophiuros • Phacelurus (syn. Thyrsia) • Ratzeburgia • Rottboellia (syn. Coelorachis) • Thaumastochloa • ;Ischaeminae • Andropterum • Dimeria • Ischaemum • Kerriochloa • Nanooravia • Pogonachne • Triplopogon • ;Germainiinae • Apocopis • Germainia • Lophopogon • Pogonatherum • ;Saccharinae • Agenium • Asthenochloa • Cleistachne • Erianthus • Eriochrysis (syn. Leptosaccharum) • Euclasta (syn. Indochloa) • Eulalia • Hemisorghum (syn. of Sorghum?) • Homozeugos • Imperata • Lasiorhachis • Leptatherum (syn. Polliniopsis) • Miscanthidium • Miscanthus (syn. Diadranthus, Rubomons, Triarrhena, Tenacistachya) • Narenga • Polytrias • Pseudodichanthium • Pseudopogonatherum • Pseudosorghum (syn. of Eulalia?) • Saccharum • Sarga • Sclerostachya • Sorghastrum • Sorghum (syn. Vacoparis) • Trachypogon • Tripidium • Veldkampia • ;Andropogoninae • Anadelphia • Andropogon (syn. Hypogynium) • Bhidea • Bothriochloa • Capillipedium • Clausospicula • Cymbopogon • Dichanthium • Diectomis • Diheteropogon • Elymandra • Eremopogon • Exotheca • Heteropogon • Hyparrhenia • Hyperthelia • Iseilema • Lakshimia • Monocymbium • Parahyparrhenia • Pseudanthistiria • Schizachyrium • Spathia • Spodiopogon (syn. Eccoilopus) • Themeda

2020 classification

Classification following Welker et al. (2020) (one asterisk * marks genera not sampled in their analyses that were tentatively placed based on previously published phylogenetic analyses; two asterisks ** marks genera placed solely on morphology): Tribe Andropogoneae Dumort. – 14 subtribes, 92 genera, and about 1224 species