Germainia

Teerawatananon, A., Sungkaew, S., Boontia, V. & Hodkinson, T. R., 2013, A taxonomic revision of Germainia (Andropogoneae: Poaceae) in Thailand, Blumea 57 (3), pp. 221-228 : 221-224

Germainia

Germainia Balansa & Poitr. (1873) 344, f. 1–9, non Germanea Lam. (1788) . — Anthistiria L. f. sect . Germainia (Balansa & Poitr.) Benth.& Hook.f.(1883) 1136 (‘ Germainea ’). — Balansochloa Kuntze (1903) 58, 247, 616, nom superfl. — Themeda Forssk. sect. Germainia (Balansa & Poitr.) Roberty (1960) 101. — Type: Germainia capitata Balansa & Poitr.

Sclerandrium Stapf & C.E.Hubb. (1935) 33, t. 3262. — Type: Sclerandrium truncatiglume (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Stapf & C.E.Hubb. (≡ Germainia truncatiglumis (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Chai-Anan ).

Chumsriella Bor (1968) 467. — Type: Chumsriella thailandica Bor (≡ Germainia thailandica (Bor) Chai-Anan ).

Etymology. The genus Germainia was named by Balansa & Poitrasson

(1873) in honour of the collector, Rodolphe Germain.

Perennial, tufted, rarely stoloniferous. Culms slender, erect; nodes glabrous to pubescent or pilose. Leaf­blades lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear, hairy to glabrous. Ligule an eciliate or ciliolate membrane. Inflorescence of 1– 2(–6) racemes, racemes capitate or elongate or subdigitate, closely appressed to divergent, rachis internodes tough, short or almost reduced, racemes with 2 –14 sessile and pedicelled spikelets; peduncles usually exserted, rarely enclosed in uppermost sheath,

© 2013 Nationaal Herbarium Nederland espatheate, glabrous to hirsute. Spikelets in pairs, heteromorphous, sometimes basal pairs reduced to the sessile spikelets forming an involucre, dorsally compressed, 2 florets, without rachilla extension. Sessile spikelets male, persistent; lower glumes membranous or chartaceous ( G. pilosa , G. thailandica ) or coriaceous, glabrous to hairy, obliquely bifid, muticous, truncate or obtuse, 7–9(–11)-nerved, nerves sometimes anastomosing; upper glumes membranous, almost reaching or exceeding apex of lower glumes in spikelets, acute or obtuse or dentate or emarginate, 3 – 5-nerved; lower florets sometimes absent if present male or neuter; lower lemmas membranous, acute to obtuse, 1(– 3)-nerved; lower paleas membranous, acute or obtuse or bifid or dentate, 2-nerved; upper florets male or neuter; upper lemmas absent, if present linear or filiform, obtuse or acute to mucronate, 1-nerved; upper paleas as the lower one; lodicules absent; stamens 2. Pedicelled spikelets fertile, caducous; spikelet callus linear to obtuse, attached obliquely or transversely, hairy with yellowish to reddish brown hairs; glumes coriaceous, subequal, acute or obtuse or muticous, dentate or truncate, 3 –7-nerved; lower florets usually suppressed, if present neuter, epaleate; upper florets female; upper lemmas reduced to the narrow stipitate base of awn base, awns geniculate with brown twisted columns, hirsutulous, caducous, 1-nerved; upper paleas membranous, almost glabrous; styles 2, stigmas plumose, exserted. Caryopsis with adherent pericarp, oblong, hilum punctiform.

Distribution — Nine species, distributed from India, Myanmar, China, Indo-China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea to Australia.

Habitat & Ecology — Occurring in moist sandy soil, tropical grassland, tropical forest, and deciduous forest and also open and moist rocky plain areas. Found at elevations of 0 –1300 m.

Note — Kuntze (1903) regarded the name as confusable with Germanea Lam. (1788, Lamiaceae ), possibly named after J.J. de Saint Germain (c. 1784) ( Backer 1936: 232). This has not been accepted and there are no combinations under the superfluous replacement name Balansochloa Kuntze.