Arundinella taiwanica Veldk., 2015

Veldkamp, J. F., 2015, Arundinella (Gramineae) in Malesia with notes on other taxa and on aluminium accumulation, Blumea 59 (3), pp. 167-179 : 176-177

4. Arundinella taiwanica Veldk. , sp. nov.

Culmi caespitosi. Folia paulo rigida glabra. Paniculae laxe contractae ramis puberulis. Spiculae bruneolae ad purpuree suffusae. Lemmata inferiora 3.8–5 mm longa, superiora laevia aristis 2–3.1 mm longis (i.s.). — Typus: Van Steenis 20656 (holo L), Taiwan, Hualien Co., Hsoulin Hsiang, Tayu Lin (locality now converted to a vegetable farm) .

Arundinella pubescens auct. sin., non Merr. & Hack., p.p.: e.g. Kuoh & Chen (2002) 444, Sun & Phillips (2006) 569.

Plants perennial (cataphylls!). Culms tufted, erect, 0.25–more than 0.6 m long. Nodes glabrous. Sheaths glabrous, or margins hairy, or pilose with bb hairs. Throat hairy. Ligule 0.3–0.5 mm high. Blades rather stiff, flat to involute (ultimately articulat- ing at base), linear, 5.5–15.5 cm by 0.8–5 mm, glabrous, margins smooth or scaberulous or pilose. Peduncle under the panicle glabrous. Panicle loosely contracted, 3.5–11.5 by 1–2 cm, lowermost branch solitary, 1.5–6.5 cm long, angular, puberulous, not pilose. Pedicels scaberulous or puberulous. Spikelets 4–5.7 mm long, purple suffused to brownish (when dry). Glumes glabrous; lower glume 2.8–4.7 mm long, 0.7–0.9 times as long as the spikelet, distinctly shorter than to about as long as the lower lemma, apex acuminate to mucronate, 3- or 5-nerved; upper glume 3–5-nerved, apex acuminate. Lower lemma male (not always seen, but paleate; anthers c. 1 mm long, black, abortive?), 3.8–5 mm long, 3- or 5-nerved, apex acute; upper lemma 2.4–3 mm long, castaneous in fruit, smooth, 3-nerved, callus hairs 0.5–1.4 mm long, 0.35–0.47 times as long as the lemma, apex acute, without lateral setae, awn distinctly exserted beyond the glumes, geniculate, 2–3.1 mm long when dry, column 0–1.1 mm long when dry. Anthers 3, 1.5–2 mm long.

Distribution — Taiwan, Hualien Co., Ta-yu-ling (N24°11'0" E121°18'0", type); Nantou, Jenai Hsiang, Yunhai (N24°3'0" E121°16'0"); Taitung Co., Hsiao-kuei Hu (N22°44'04" E120° 53'44").

Habitat — Open, rather dry grassland, along a trail with Miscanthus transmorrisonensis Hayata , Abies savannah, 1800– 2500 m altitude.

Additional specimens seen. C.-C. Hsu & R. Hsu 3637 (TAI, phoco in L), 3654 (TAI, phoco in L), M.-J. Jung x 022802 (L ex NCKU), M.-J. Jung 13453 (L ex NCKU)), S.-Y. Ku 20410 (L ex NCKU), Nakamura T-4959 (TAI, phoco in L). Perhaps Ohwi 1424 ( US) not seen by me, but mentioned by Phipps (1967a: 1047) belongs here.

Note — Most similar is A. filiformis (incl. A. humilior ):

–. Panicle fairly lax to lax, branches smooth or scaberulous. Upper glume apex long-acuminate. Upper lemma 1–2 mm long, microscopically scaberulous (40 ×!), awn 3.5–7.3 mm long when dry.......................... A. filiformis

–. Panicle loosely contracted, branches puberulous. Upper glume apex acuminate. Upper lemma 2.4–3 mm long, smooth, awn 2–3.1 mm long when dry..... A. taiwanica