Microstegium fasciculatum

Chen, H., Veldkamp, J. - F. & Kuoh, C. - S., 2012, Taxonomic revision of Microstegium s. str. Andropogoneae, Poaceae), Blumea 57 (2), pp. 160-189 : 169-172

7. Microstegium fasciculatum (L.) Henrard — Fig. 6 ; Map 6

Microstegium fasciculatum (L.) Henrard (1940) 453. — Andropogon fasciculatum L.(1753) 1047 (‘ fasciculatus ’). — Tripsacum fasciculatum (L.) Raspail (1825) 306. — Dactylodes fasciculatum (L.) Kuntze (1891) 773. — Chloris fasciculata (L.) Thell.(1912) 289, non Schrad.(1824). — Lectotype: Herb. Linn. 1211.27, lower, central specimen, designated by Cope (in Cafferty et al. (2000) 245).

Pollinia ciliata Trin. (1832) 306. — Pollinia lancea Nees ex Steud. (1854b) 410, nom. superfl. — [ Pollinia ciliata Trin. subsp. genuina Hack. (1889) 173, nom. inval.]. — Eulalia ciliata (Trin.) Kuntze (1891) 775. — [ Pollinia ciliata Trin. var. genuina Hack. ex Hook.f. (1896a) 116, nom. inval.]. — Microstegium ciliatum (Trin.) A. Camus (1921) 201. — [ Pollinia ciliata Trin. (unranked) typica Backer (1928) 49, nom. inval.]. — [ Pogonatherum glabratum (Brongn.) Roberty subvar. ciliatum (Trin.) Roberty (1960) 388, nom. inval.]. — Type: Wallich ex Hornemann in Herb. Trinius 54.1 (holo LE, microfiche IDC BT-16/1; BM, C, marked as 8815­B; CAL, E, G, K, P, microfiche IDC 7394).

[ Ephebopogon gratus Nees & Meyen ex Steud. (1840) 556, nom. nud.]. — Pollinia ciliata auct. non Trin.: Nees (preprint of 1843: 1841) 54; (1843) 186. — Pollinia grata Hack. (1889) 175. — Eulalia grata (Hack.) Kuntze (1891) 775. — Microstegium gratum (Hack.) A. Camus (1921) 201, nom. superfl. — Pollinia ciliata Trin. forma grata (Hack.) Backer (1928) 49. — [ Pogonatherum glabratum (Brongn.) Roberty subvar. gratum (Hack.) Roberty (1960) 388, nom. inval.]. — Lectotype: Meyen s.n. (holo B, lost?; Herb. Trin. 59.1 (LE, microfiche IDC BT-16/1)), designated here.

Pollinia montana Nees ex Steud. (1854b) 409. — Microstegium montanum (Nees ex Steud.) Henrard (1940) 455. — Type: Junghuhn s.n. (Java, G. Grong Kedong ) (holo B, lost?; L, not found).

Pollinia laxa Nees ex Steud.(1854b) 410. — Pollinia ciliata Trin. subsp. laxa Hack. (1889) 176. — Pollinia ciliata Trin. var. laxa (Nees ex Steud.) Hack. ex Hook.f.(1896a) 116. — Microstegium ciliatum (Trin.) A.Camus var. laxum (Nees ex Steud.) Reeder (1948) 338. — Type: Wallich Cat. 8823 p.p. (holo B, lost?; BM, CAL, E, K, L, P, microfiche IDC 7394)

Pollinia monantha Nees ex Steud. (1854b) 410. — Eulalia monantha (Nees ex Steud.) Kuntze (1891) 775. — Microstegium monanthum (Nees ex Steud.) A. Camus (1921) 200. — [ Pogonatherum glabratum (Brongn.) Roberty subvar. monanthum (Nees ex Steud.) Roberty (1960) 388, nom. inval.]. — Type: Wallich Cat. 8819 (holo B, lost?; BM, CAL, E, G, K, microfiche IDC 7394; P).

Pollinia vagans Nees ex Steud. (1854b) 410. — Eulalia vagans (Nees ex Steud.) Kuntze (1891) 775. — [ Pollinia vagans Nees ex Steud.var. genuina Hack. (1889) 173, nom. inval.]. — Microstegium vagans (Nees ex Steud.) A. Camus (1921) 200; Hand.-Mazz. (1936) 1309, isonym; Henrard (1940) 455, isonym. — [ Pogonatherum glabratum (Brongn.) Roberty subvar. vagans (Nees ex Steud.) Roberty (1960) 389, nom. inval.]. — Type: Wallich Cat. 8807­B (holo P; BM, CAL, E, microfiche IDC 7394; G, K, W).

Pollinia vagans Nees ex Steud.var. dubia Hack.(1889) 173. — Microstegium vagans (Nees ex Steud.)A.Camus var. dubium (Hack.) Hand.-Mazz.(1936) 1309. — [ Pogonatherum glabratum (Brongn.) Roberty subvar. dubium (Hack.) Roberty (1960) 388, nom. inval.]. — Type: Hook.f. & T. Thomson ‘ Pollinia micrantha’ (holo W; BM, L).

Pollinia ciliata Trin. subsp. seminuda Hack. (1889) 177. — Pollinia ciliata Trin. var. seminuda (Hack.) Hook.f. (1896a) 116. — Type: Thwaites CP 411 p.p. (holo W; PDA).

Pollinia grata Hack. var. hirsuta Hook.f. (1896a) 116. — Type: Kurz 1207 (holo K).

Pollinia ciliata Trin. var. breviaristata Rendle (1904) 355. — Microstegium breviaristatum (Rendle)A. Camus (1921) 201. — Syntypes: Mulgrave s.n., Henry 3133, 11412 (BM, E, K, MO).

Andropogon vagans Rendle (1904) 375,non Pollinia vagans Steud.(1854b) . — Lectotype: Sampson 300 (holo BM, not found; K), designated here.

Pollinia gracilis Ridl. (1907) 156. — Microstegium gracile (Ridl.) A. Camus (1921) 201. — Type: Ridley 8476 (holo SING).

Pollinia parceciliata Pilg. (1917) 279. — Microstegium parceciliatum (Pilg.) Pilg.(1936) 264. — Eulalia parceciliata (Pilg.) Pilg. ex Peter (1936) 359. — Type: Stolz 1447 (holo B, lost?; G, K, L, U, WAG).

Pollinia bequaertii De Wild. (1920) 132. — Eulalia bequaertii (De Wild.) De Wild.(1921) 2. — Leptatherum bequaertii (De Wild.) Robyns (1929) 89. — Microstegium bequaertii (De Wild.) Henrard (1940) 453. — Type: Bequaert 391 (holo BR; K). Epithet usually, but erroneously spelled as ‘ bequaerti ’.

Microstegium ciliatum (Trin.) A.Camus var. latifolium Ohwi (1942b) 10. — Type: Kanehira & Hatusima 13243 (holo FU; A, BO).

Microstegium montanum (Nees ex Steud.) Henrard var. hirsutum Jansen (1953) 306. — Type: Van Breemen 44 (holo BO; L ‘ Microstegium montanum var. pubescens ’).

Microstegium vagans (Nees ex Steud.) A.Camus var. scandens Bor (1962) 174. — Type: Larsen 577 (holo K).

Perennials, mat-forming. Culms rambling, robust or of moderate stature, 50–300 cm long, rooting from the lower nodes. Nodes glabrous or bearded. Sheaths glabrous to pilose, outer margin hairy, oral hairs absent or bearded. Ligule a glabrous membrane, 1–3 mm long. Blades linear to lanceolate, 5–30 cm by 5 – 25 mm, flaccid, base attenuate to slightly rounded,

pseudopetiole absent, margins scabrous, apex acute or acuminate, glabrous to densely pilose on both sides with tubercle-based hairs. Panicles 5–15 cm long, common axis 1–3 cm long. Racemes 3–25, usually digitate, sometimes racemose, ascending, straight, 4–15 cm long. Rachis fragile, angular, margins ciliate, internodes linear, 2–3 mm long. Sessile spikelets oblong, 2.5–4.5 mm long, callus pilose or setose. Lower glume elliptic to oblong, coriaceous, midrib glabrous, dorsally flat or longitudinally grooved, smooth, glabrous, margins glabrous, apex emarginate or obtuse, entire. Upper glume elliptic, back acute, glabrous, midrib ciliate, apex entire, acute to acuminate, muticous or mucro up to 4 mm long. Lower florets absent (‘ monantha’) or when present reduced, male, paleate or sterile, epaleate. Upper lemma orbicular, 0.5–1.25 mm long, without veins, glabrous, apex incised to 0.1–0.25th of the lemma length, awn absent ( forma mutica ) or present (forma ‘ aristata ’), from a sinus, geniculate, column twisted, 3–20 mm long. Upper palea oblong, 0.3–1 mm long, as long as the lemma, membranous, apex entire. Anthers 3, 1–2.7 mm long. Pedicels linear, semiterete, 1.5–2 mm long, margins pubescent. Pedicelled spikelets subequal to the sessile ones. 2n = 60.

Distribution — Africa ( Tanzania, Zaire, Uganda, Congo, Ma- lawi), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, W Bengal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland), Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Burma (widespread), Thailand (N: Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phrae, Tak; NE: Nakhon Phanom, Ranong; E: Chaiyaphum; SE: Chonburi; SW: Kanchanaburi, Rachaburi, Utaithani; Peninsular: Nakorn si Thammarat, Phuket), Vietnam, Laos, S China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan), Taiwan, Malesia: Malay Peninsula (Kelantan, Penang, Perlis), Singapore, Sumatra (W, S), Java (widespread), Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumbawa, Timor), Celebes, Moluccas (Morotai), Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao), New Guinea (Vogelkop).

Habitat — Open, disturbed areas, fallow fields, roadsides, fire damaged thickets and savannas, clearing in hardwood or deciduous forest, secondary forest, with much bamboo, overgrown rubber plantation, in hedges, shaded river side, dry sandy soil, sandstone, granite, limestone, marl, 0–1830 m altitude.

Uses — Readily eaten by cattle and horses with a sufficient feeding value.

Collector’s notes — Perennial. Roots pale brown. Culms thicket-forming, vegetation forming, scrambling for several meters, erect-decumbent, rooting at the lower nodes, rather weak, (pale) green, green with purple, stramineous, glossy dark violet, 0.6–3 m long. Roots pale brown. Blades (glossy) dark green above, dull pale to dark green below. Inflorescence erect, axes yellowish, green, green with violet, dull maroonish. Racemes erectopatent. Spikelets whitish, greyish, pale green with pale green margins and nerves, pale yellowish, turning red-brownish, purplish brown, dull violet, hairs pale pink, white, brown, magenta, maroonish, violet. Paleas pale green, white. Awns glossy brown, dull dark red, maroonish, purple, lower half dark magenta, dark violet, dark maroon, upper half pale brown, tan, whitish. Filaments white. Anthers (pale) yellow, greenish brown with purple dots, orange, tan. Stigmas white, pale green, dark maroon, purple.

Notes — Because of the separation here of M. biaristatum and M. fasciculatum , it is not possible to reconstruct the distribution of these species from literature. We based ours on the specimens examined to reconstruct them.

Noltie (2000) noted that in most specimens from Bhutan there is a lower floret, but that it is absent in the isotypes of P. wallichiana Nees and P. laxa Nees. Also absent in M. vagans , except in the type where there is a large palea.

Microstegium fasciculatum sometimes has the pedicelled spikelet much reduced, whereby in keys the genus cannot be reached: Phakam 69 ( Thailand; L).

Depicted by Chen & Phillips (2007) as M. ciliatum .

Figures

Map 6 Distribution of Microstegium fasciculatum (L.) Henrard.

Fig. 6 Microstegium fasciculatum (L.) Henrard. a. Habit; b. spikelets; c. lower glume; d. upper glume; e. lower lemma; f. upper lemma with awn; g. upper palea; h. pistil; i. stamens; j. joint of leaf sheath and leaf blade (all: Sampson 300, K).