Mnesithea laevis var. cochinchinensis, (Lour.) de Koning & Sosef

Veldkamp, J. F., Heidweiller, J., Klaauw, M. A. F. van der, Koning, R. de, Kraaijeveld, A. R., Sosef, M. S. M. & Strucker, R. C. W., 2013, A revision of Mnesithea (Gramineae - Rottboelliinae) in Malesia and Thailand, Blumea 58 (3), pp. 277-292 : 285

b. var. cochinchinensis (Lour.) de Koning & Sosef — Fig. 8

Mnesithea laevis (Retz.) Kunth var. cochinchinensis (Lour.) de Koning & Sosef in Veldkamp et al. (20 June 1986) 286; C.E.Hubb. ex Santos (no date 1986) 94,isonym inval.,sine basion. — Phleum cochinchinense Lour. (1790) 48. — [ Rottboellia corymbosa L.f. subvar. cochinchinensis (Lour.) Roberty (1960) 65, comb. inval.]. — Heteropholis cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton (1981) 816. — Type: Loureiro s.n. (holo BM).

Ophiuros monostachyus J. Presl (1830) 330. — Rottboellia monostachya Schmid (1958) 193, nom. inval. — Type: Haenke s.n. (holo PR; Herb. Trinius 133.1, microfiche IDC BT-16/1).

Ophiurus undatus Nees (1850) 100;Steud.(1854) 360 (‘ undulatus ’). — Type: Cuming 1339 (holo CGE; BM, GOET, K, L, P, W).

Culms 0.2–0.5 m long. Cataphylls ovate-oblong, 3–9 by 0.6–2.5 mm. Nodes glabrous. Sheaths glabrous, margin glabrous. Ligule 0.2–0.8 mm long. Blades 9–22 cm by 0.6–4.8 mm, margins at base pectinate, glabrous behind the ligule. Peduncles glabrous. Spatheoles 3.5–5.5 cm long. Spikes 4.5–8.5 cm by 1.8–2.2 mm wide. Spikelets in triads. Joints 5.2–5.4 mm long. Sessile spikelet 4.8–5.1 mm long (incl. callus); lower glumes convex, smooth, smooth or with longitudinal lines of minute dots, greenish yellow, 7-nerved, apex winged; upper glume boat-shaped, 4.2 mm long, 3–4-nerved, apex acute; first lemma 3.9–4.2 mm long, 4-nerved; paleas 2–3-nerved; second palea ovate-oblong, 2.7–3.6 mm long. Anthers 1.6–2.2 mm long. Pedicel 5–5.4 mm long. Pedicelled spikelets 0.6–0.8 mm long. 2n = 36.

Distribution — Thailand (N: Sukhotai, Nakhon Sawan; SW: Ratchaburi), Laos (Saravan), Cambodia (Kratie), Vietnam, S China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan), Taiwan, Ryu Kyu Isl., Pacific (Carolines ( Palau, Jap), Marianas), Malesia: Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao), Buru.

Habitat — Savannahs, disturbed places, e.g. roadsides, bunds of rice fields, grass fields, 20–600 m altitude.

Notes — The records for India and Java cited and depicted by De Koning et al. (1983) refer to var. laevis ( Veldkamp et al. 1986) .

Differs from the Malesian / Thai congeners in: Nodes glabrous. Margins of the blades at base pectinate. Lower glume of sessile spikelet 7-nerved. Pedicelled spikelets reduced to 1 small scale.

Most similar is var. laevis (see key).