Tripogon vellarianus Pradeep, Sida

K., Thoiba, Abstract, A. K. Pradeep & Roem., Tripogon, 2020, A revision of Tripogon (Poaceae: Chloridoideae) in India, Rheedea 30 (3), pp. 325-378 : 369-371

Tripogon vellarianus Pradeep, Sida 18(3): 811. 1999; Sasidh., Biodiv. Doc. Kerala –Fl. Pl.: 595. 2004. Tripogon major Hook.f. subsp. vellarianus (Pradeep) Sang.Dey & Prasanna, J. Econ. Tax. Bot. 43(1–4): 9. 2020[“2019”]. Type: INDIA , Kerala, Kozhikode district, Vellarimala, 110 25.877´N, 760 06.765´E, 1300 m, 17.10.1997, A.K. Pradeep 56110 (holo MH!; iso BRIT!, CAL!, CALI [CALI112131!], K!, L!, NY [NY00658707 digital image!] PBL!).

FiGS. 42 , 43 & 50

Tufted perennial herb. Culms 30–150 cm high erect; nodes glabrous. Leaf sheaths 4–10 cm long, linear, glabrous; ligules indistinct or a tuft of 1–4 mm long hairs at apex in young stage; leaf blades 30–60 × 8–15 mm, linear-lanceolate, flat, sparsely hairy at adaxially and glabrous abaxially, acuminate to attenuate at apex. Racemes 30–40 cm long, Spikelets appressed to concavities in rachis; rachis 2.5–3 cm long, rigid, glabrous; peduncle 10–25 cm long, glabrous. Spikelets 10–17 × 3–3.6 mm, linear, distant, dorsiventrally flattened, 6–12-flowered; callus bearded, hairs 1–1.2 mm long; rachilla 0.5 mm long, glabrous, straight, not persistent; lower glumes 4–5.2 × 0.9–1.1 mm, lanceolate, symmetrical, 1-nerved, 1-keeled, glabrous, purplish tinged dorsally, acuminate at apex; upper glumes 5–7.5 × 1–1.5 mm, elliptic-lanceolate, 1-keeled, 1– 3-nerved, glabrous acute to acuminate at apex; lemmas 5–10 × 1–2 mm (excluding the awn), ovate-lanceolate, 3-nerved, slightly keeled, 1-awned, awns scabrid, apex straight or geniculate, median awns 3 mm long, awns scabrid, lateral awns absent or closely adpressed to the median awn; paleas 4–8 × 0.8–1 mm, narrowly elliptic, hyaline, 2-keeled, winged, keels minutely puberulous, acute or obtuse at apex; lodicules 2, 0.25–0.5 mm long, quadrate, apex coarsely 3-toothed; stamens 3, anthers 1.5–2 mm long, oblong, filaments 0.5 mm long, slender, glabrous; ovary 0.25 mm long, obovate, styles 2, 0.8 mm long, slender, hyaline, stigmas 0.6–0.8 mm long, plumose, creamy white to purplish. Caryopses 2.5–3.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, oblong-cylindric, light brown.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering and fruiting from September to January.

Habitat: This species is rather rare and occurs from 1000 to 1500 m on seasonally wet rocky hill sides in association with Arthraxon lancifolius , Arundinella pumila , Chrysopogon nodulibarbis , Themeda tremula , Tripogon bromoides (all Poaceae ), Cyanotis arachnoidea C.B.Clarke , Murdannia semiteres (both Commelinaceae ), Henckelia humboldtiana ( Gesneriaceae ) and Ipsea malabarica Hook.f. ( Orchidaceae ).

Distribution: Endemic to South India , hitherto known only from the type locality and adjoining areas.

Specimens examined: INDIA , Kerala, Kozhikode district, Damodaran kolli, way to Vellarimala, 14.11.1997, A. K . Pradeep 56187a, 56187b, 56187c; above Olichuchattum falls , way to Vellarimala, 19.98.1997, A. K . Pradeep 56035a, 56035b, 56035c; Kakkadampoyil, 09.10.2013, K . Thoiba 134468a, 134468b, 134468c ( CALI) .

Notes: Dey and Prasanna (2019) without having studied the living populations in the field, treated this taxon as a subspecies of the South African T. major Hook.f. Tripogon vellarianus is a distinct species characterised by its strongly tussockforming habit, broad leaves and large spikelets. It is perhaps the tallest species of Tripogon in the genus.

Figures

FiG. 42. Tripogon vellarianus Pradeep:a. Habit;b. Spikelet;c. Lower glume;d. Upper glume;e.Lemma;f. Palea;G.LodiCule;h. Caryopsis.

FiG. 43. Tripogon vellarianus Pradeep: a. Habit; b. & c. Enlarged portion of raCeme; d. Spikelet; e. Lower glume; f. Upper glume; G. Floret; h. Lemma; i. Palea; j. Callus with lodiCules.

FiG.50. Distribution ofTripogon vellarianus Pradeep,T.velliangiriensis Murug.& V.Balas.,T. wightii Hook.f.and T.zeylaniCus Nees ex Steud. in India [drawn using ESRI (2011) ArCGIS Desktop: Release 10].