Tripogon purpurascens Duthie, Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta)

K., Thoiba, Abstract, A. K. Pradeep & Roem., Tripogon, 2020, A revision of Tripogon (Poaceae: Chloridoideae) in India, Rheedea 30 (3), pp. 325-378 : 362-363

Tripogon purpurascens Duthie, Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 9: 74, t. 92. 1901; Bor, Grass. Burma Ceylon India & Pakistan 522. 1960; S.Moulik, Grass. Bam. India 2: 623. 1997; S.M.Philips & S.L.Chen, Kew Bull. 57(4): 913. 2002; Teerawat. & Sungkaew, Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 40: 130. Type: INDIA , Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, Tehri - Garhwal district, Tons Valley, 05.05.1927, Duthie 23532 (B [B100279879 digital image!]).

Festuca filiformis Nees ex Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 302. 1854, non Pourr. 1788.

Tripogon abyssinicus auct . Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 7: 287. 1896, non Nees ex Steud., 1854.

Tripogon jacquemontii var. submuticus Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 7: 287. 1896. Type: INDIA , Himachal Pradesh, Simla, 08.1889, Duthie 10149 (K [ K000245021 digital image!]).

Tripogon hookerianus Bor, Grass. Burma Ceylon India & Pakistan 522. 1960. Lectotype (designated by Teerawatananon & Sungkaew, 2012): INDIA, N.W. Himalaya, Hazara district, Kagan Valley, 8000 ft, 24.07.1896, Duthie 20364 (K [K000245025 digital image!]). FiG. 36

Caespitose perennials, purple tinged. Culms 4–18 cm high, erect, sub-erect or ascending, slender, purplish, reddish-brown to green; nodes glabrous. Leaf sheaths 2–4 cm long, linear, persistent with remnants of culm bases of previous years, inrolled to the culm; ligules membranous, ciliate; leaf blades 1.7–8 × 0.07–0.2 cm, filiform, convolute, margins entire, densely pilose adaxially and glabrous abaxially, acuminate at apex. Racemes 3–15 cm long, solitary, spike-like, slender, straight or arcuate, spikelets arranged loosely in rachis; rachis angular; peduncles 7–11 cm long, glabrous. Spikelets 2.5–7 × 0.4–0.5 mm, oblong-elliptic, distant, laterally compressed, 2–4(-5–8)-flowered, purplish, with diminished sterile floret at the apex, disarticulation of florets from above glumes and in between florets; callus bearded; rachilla glabrous, almost straight, not persistent; lower glumes 1.5–3 × 0.5–0.7 mm, oblong-lanceolate, notched on one-side, 1-nerved, 1-keeled, keels slightly scabrid, acute at apex; upper glumes (2–) 2.6–4.5 × 0.5–1 mm, elliptic-lanceolate, 1-nerved 1-keeled; lemmas 2–4.5 × 1–1.2 mm, elliptic, membranous, keeled, bifid, 3-nerved, median nerve extends to form a mucro at apex; paleas 2–4 × 0.8– 1 mm, obovate to elliptic, winged, surface pubescent, 2-keeled, ciliate along margins, obtuse or emarginated at apex; lodicules 2, 0.3–0.4 mm long, truncate; stamens 3, anthers 1–1.2 mm long, oblong, filaments 0.3–0.5 mm long, slender, glabrous; ovary 0.3–0.4 × c. 0.25 mm, obovate, styles 0.7–1.2 mm long, slender, hyaline, stigma 1.2–1.3 mm long, plumose, creamy-white. Caryopses 0.5– 1.2 × 0.2–0.3, linear-lanceolate, light brown.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering and fruiting from June to September.

Habitat: This species restricted to open moist, rocky areas and open grassy slopes between 750–3200 m altitudes.

Distribution: India , China, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.

Specimens examined: INDIA , Andhra Pradesh, Nellore district , Veligonda, 07.1914, M . S . Ramaswami 1417 ( CAL). Himachal Pradesh, Lahasa, on the way of Shimla to Kinnaur, 19.04.2016, K . V .C. Gosavi 146798a, 146798b, 19768c ( CALI). Kashmir, Ganderbal district, Sind Valley , 24.06.1892, J . F . Duthie 11457; s.loc., s.d., R . B . Majumder 670 ( CAL). Madhya Pradesh, Rewa district , Nawagaon, 21.08.1954, K . Subramanyam 8565 ( CAL). Maharashtra, Chandrapur district, Devada forest Camp, 20.08.1970, B . M . Wadhwa 137425 ( BSI). Rajasthan, Jaipur district , Gopalpura, 17.07.1976, G . P . Roy 2679; University Campus, s.d., Y . D. Tiagi 9; s.loc., s.d., Griffith 6644; s.loc., 09.1964, Braun 3138 ( CAL) .

Notes: Tripogon purpurascens is unique in having all parts purplish tinged, slender racemes and 2 - lobed lemma with the midrib extending in to a small mucro and awnless lateral lobes.

Figures

FiG. 36. Distribution of Tripogon polyanthus Naik & Patunkar, T. pungens C.E.C.FisCh. and T. purpurasCens Duthie in India [drawn using ESRI (2011) ArCGIS Desktop: Release 10].