Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack.

Veldkamp, J. F., 2016, A revision of Themeda (Gramineae) in Malesia with a new species from Laos, Blumea 61 (1), pp. 29-40 : 33

3. Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack.

Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack. in Duthie (1888) 89; (1889) 670 [incl. subsp. & var. genuina Hack. , p. 672, nom. inval.]. — Anthistiria gigantea Cav. (1799) 36, t. 458. — Calamina gigantea (Cav.) P.Beauv. (1812) 128,151,157, excl.t. 23,f. 1; Cav.ex Roem. & Schult.(1817) 810,isonym. — Anthesteria gigantea (Cav.) Cav.ex Spreng.(1824) 291. — Androscepia gigantea (Cav.) Brongn.(1831) 78. — [ Androscepia gigantea (Cav.) Brongn. var. oligantha Buse (Feb.1854) 24;( Aug.1854) 364,nom.inval.]. — [ Androscepia gigantea (Cav.) Brongn. var. mutica Andersson (1856) 248, nom. inval.pro var. gigantea ]. — [ Anthistiria gigantea Cav. subsp. genuina Hack. ex Hook.f. (1896) 217, nom. inval.]. — [ Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack. subvar. mutica Roberty (1960) 91, non Hack.(1889),nom.inval.]. — Lectotype: Née s.n. (MA, no. 475296), designated by Garilleti (1993: 45).

Perobachne secunda J. Presl (1830) 348,t.48. — Type: Haenke s.n. (holo PR).

[ Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack.forma abbreviata Roberty (1960) 89, nom. inval. — Voucher: Ramos Philipp. Pl. 1864 (BO, G, L, SING; PNH lost)].

Anthistiria arundinacea auct. non Roxb.

Schoenus lithospermus auct. non L.

Plants perennial. Culms 1–4 m long, tufted. Nodes glabrous. Ligule c. 1.5 mm long, margin glabrous. Leaves 30–100 cm by c. 4.5 mm wide. Uppermost spatheoles glabrous. Peduncle 1–2 mm long, (sub)glabrous, c. 1/4 as long as the spatheole. Capitules falling as a whole. Involucral spikelets conspicuous, pairs unequally inserted, male; lower glumes linear-lanceolate, 6.5–8.5 by 0.8–1 mm wide, acuminate, herbaceous, 11-nerved (obscured by pubescence), densely brown to golden hirsute; upper glumes 3-nerved. Fertile spikelets 1, 7.3–7.8 mm long (incl. callus), callus c. 1.5 mm long, hairs brown, 1–1.3 mm long; lower glumes yellowish brown, apex acute, surface dorsally, marginally, and distally hairy. Awn absent. Anthers 1.5–3.5 mm long, purple. Pedicel hairy. Pedicelled spikelets 2, male, 7–9 mm long; pedicel appressed hairy; lower glumes apex acuminate, pilose.

Distribution — Moluccas (Halmahera, Fayaul), Philippines (Batanas Isl., Busuanga, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Samar (Suluan Isl.)). Surprisingly, Brass 3518 (A, BO, L) from Tulagi Isl., Solomon Isl., growing here and there along the foreshores, belongs here as well ( Reeder 1948: 373).

Habitat — Open, exposed places, secondary forest, sea shores; 0–2000 m altitude.

Uses — PNH 72644 ( Conklin & Rosario) (L) reports ‘religious ceremony’ in Ifugao, Mt Prov., Luzon; leaves as topical medicine for chest pains ( PNH 37923 ( Conklin)).

Collector’s notes — Stem yellow, up to 2 m. Leaves green above, pale green below. Flowers greenish turning brownish, reddish.

Note — Merrill (1918: 60) thought that Anthistiria gigantea sensu Blanco (1837) would be a misidentification of Saccharum spontaneum L. From Blanco’s words, however, it is obvious that he had a Themeda before him, but which one is not clear. Sajise et al. (1974) distinguished 5 taxa in the Philippines.