Themeda villosa var. caudata, 2016

Veldkamp, J. F., 2016, A revision of Themeda (Gramineae) in Malesia with a new species from Laos, Blumea 61 (1), pp. 29-40 : 36

b. var. caudata (Nees) Veldk. , comb. nov.

Anthistiria caudata Nees in Hook. & Arn., Bot. Beechey Voy. (1838) 245. — Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack.subsp. caudata (Nees) Hack.(1889) 676. — Anthistiria gigantea Cav.subsp. caudata (Nees) Hack.ex Hook.f.(1896) 217.— Themeda caudata (Nees) [Hack. ex T.Durand & B.D.Jacks. (1906) 424,in syn.] A. Camus (1922) 364; Honda (1926) 108,isonym. — [ Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack. var. caudata (Nees) Keng (1957) 149, 247; (1959) 845, t. 792, comb. inval.(no basion.)]. — [ Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack. subvar. caudata (Nees) Roberty (1960) 90, nom. inval.]. — Lectotype: Vachell 46, p.p. in Herb. Lindley (CGE, 16260, marked ‘A’; iso, 16261, marked ‘B’), designated here.

Themeda villosa auct. non A.Camus.

Themeda gigantea auct. non Hack.

Plants perennial. Culms 1–6 m long, tufted. Nodes glabrous or pilose. Ligule 0.7–2 mm long, margin ciliolate to setose, sometimes fimbriate. Leaves 20–150 cm by 2.5–16 mm. Uppermost spatheoles glabrous. Peduncle 11–35 mm long, c. 1/3 to c. 1/2 times as long as the spatheole, glabrous or white hairy. Capitule long-persistent. Involucral spikelets conspicuous, unequally inserted, male; lower glumes linear-lanceolate to linear, 11–15(–21) by 1.5–2 mm, acuminate, herbaceous, 11-nerved, glabrous, scaberulous, minutely puberulous, or dorsally with some long hairs; upper glumes 3-nerved. Fertile spikelets 2–3, 6–11.5 mm long (incl. callus); callus 1–2(–3) mm long, pilose, hairs white, gold, or brown, 1–2 mm long; lower glumes yellowish, apex obtuse to truncate, surface hairy all over, spikelets hairs white, golden, or castaneous. Awn well-developed (column contorted), perfect, 23–60 mm long, column 12–37 mm long (i.s.), straight, puberulous, hairs white (i.s.). Anthers 2–6(–7.5) mm long, purple or orange i.s. Pedicel glabrous or hairy. Pedicelled spikelets 3–4, male, 8.5–15(–19) mm long, lower glumes apex acuminate to caudate, glabrous or sparsely pilose.

Distribution — Sikkim, Bhutan, N India (E from Madhya Pradesh) to E China (E to Zhejiang), Taiwan, to New Caledonia, Thailand: Northern: Chiang Mai; Northeastern: Loei; Southwestern: Kanchanaburi; Peninsular: Pattani; Malesia: Malay Peninsula ( Kelantan, Pahang), Singapore, Sumatra (E Coast, Riau), Bangka, Borneo (S. Kalimantan, Sabah), Celebes (Central: Singkalong; Southeast: Kendari).

Habitat — Roadsides, grassy slopes, locally dominant on better soils, 10–1950 m altitude.

Collector’s notes — Very tall grass, 1.5–6 m tall, tufted. Inflorescences secund, pendulous, green. Awns brown. Anthers yellow.

Note — This is a puzzling taxon rather rare in the herbarium, but widely distributed. The floral dimensions are very variable. The type specimens have exceptional larger parts. It would seem that the variety is merely the awned form of T. villosa s.str., but the overall aspect of the spikelets, hard to bring under words, is different.