Arundinella furva Chase

Veldkamp, J. F., 2015, Arundinella (Gramineae) in Malesia with notes on other taxa and on aluminium accumulation, Blumea 59 (3), pp. 167-179 : 171-172

2. Arundinella furva Chase

Arundinella furva Chase (1943) 85, t. 4. — Type: Clemens 5826-A (holo US; B, L, NY) .

Trisetum latifolium Ridl.(1916) 250. — ( Arundinella latifolia Ohwi ex Jansen (1953) 233, nom. prov., non E.Fourn. (1886)). — Lectotype: Kloss s.n., Camp IX–X (holo BM), designated by Veldkamp & Van der Have (1983).

Arundinella nepalensis Trin.var. contracta Ohwi (1942) 4. — Type: Kanehira & Hatusima 13506 (holo FU; A).

Arundinella nepalensis auct. non Trin.

Trisetum latifolium auct. non Ridl.

Plants perennial (new shoots sometimes from decumbent culms). Culms tufted, erect to geniculate at base, 0.4–1.5 m long. Nodes glabrous or puberulous, rarely bearded. Sheaths pilose with bb hairs to margins hairy to glabrous. Throat hairy. Ligule 0.4–0.5 mm high. Blades rigid, flat, linear-lanceolate to linear, 3.5–24 cm by 5–13 mm, glabrous or pilose above or pilose on both sides, margins smooth or scaberulous or stiff ciliate. Peduncle glabrous under the panicle. Panicle densely contracted to fairly lax, interrupted at base or not, 7–25 by 0.8–7.5 cm, lowermost branch solitary or paired, longest one 2.5–8 cm long, branches angular, scaberulous or puberulous, not pilose. Pedicels scaberulous or puberulous. Spikelets 4.2–6 mm long, yellowish or purple (with green nerves). Glumes glabrous; lower glume 2.9–5 mm long, 0.6–0.82 times as long as the spikelet, distinctly shorter than the lower lemma, apex acuminate or mucronate, 3- or 5-nerved; upper glume 3- or 5-nerved, apex acuminate. Lower lemma neuter (paleate or epaleate), 3.5–4.8 mm long, 3- or 5-nerved, apex acuminate; upper lemma 2.5–3.2 mm long, castaneous in fruit, microscopically scaberulous (40 ×!), 0-nerved, callus hairs 0.5–0.7 mm long, 0.16–0.29 times as long as the lemma, apex acute, without lateral setae, awn distinctly exserted beyond the glumes, geniculate, 3–4.5 mm long when dry, column (0–) 0.5–1.2 mm long when dry. Anthers 3, 1.2–1.5 mm long.

Distribution — Malesia: Philippines (Sibuyan, Mayos Peak), apparently disjunct within New Guinea as well: Irian Jaya (Arfak, Baliem, Carstensz), Papua New Guinea (Engga, W Highlands, E Highlands, S Highlands, and then Central, Northern, Milne Bay Prov.).

Habitat — Open grassland (usually fire induced), e.g. with tree ferns, Burmannia sp. , Cyperaceae (e.g. Schoenus sp. ), Dimeria chloridiformis (Gaudich.) K.Schum. & Lauterb. , Eriocaulon sp. , Eulalia leptostachys (Pilg.) Henrard , Miscanthus floridulus (Labill.) Warb. , Xyris sp. , landslides, marshy soil, mid montane forest, along stream edges, among limestone, granitic sand, dominant, (1500–)1850–2895(–3375) m altitude.

Collector’s notes — Stoloniferous (i.e. decumbent culms) or small tussocks. Culms upright to trailing, geniculate, purple. Nodes brown, brownish purple, swollen. Leaves green, yellow green, dull mid green, tough.Peduncles purplish. Flowers brown, reddish, purplish brown, dark red, purple, later straw-coloured; awns yellowish brown, whitish red.

Uses — Not eaten by wallabies, disliked by cattle.

Notes — Although the species was described on Clemens collections from the Saruwaged, I have not seen any other collection from the Morobe Province. Remarkable is the apparent absence in some other areas, e.g. Mt Wilhelmina ( Mangen 1993) , Star Mts (pers. obs.), Mt Wilhelm ( Johns & Stevens 1971).

Most remarkable is the single record (Argent & Reynoso 89127 (L, PNH)) from the Mayos Peak, Sibuyan in the middle of the Philippines at c. 1550 m altitude.

Chase described the upper lemma (‘fruit’) as bidentate. I have only seen acute apices.

The column is sometimes virtually absent, there is only a sharp bend at the expected place.