Themeda novoguineensis (Reeder) Jansen

Veldkamp, J. F., 2016, A revision of Themeda (Gramineae) in Malesia with a new species from Laos, Blumea 61 (1), pp. 29-40 : 34

5. Themeda novoguineensis (Reeder) Jansen

Themeda novoguineensis (Reeder) Jansen (1952) 483. — Themeda gigantea (Cav.) Hack. var. novoguineensis Reeder (1948) 374. — Type: Brass 3710 (holo A; BO, US).

Themeda gigantea auct. non Hack.

Plants perennial. Culms 1.5–3.5 m long, tufted. Nodes glabrous. Ligule 1–1.2 mm long, margin glabrous. Leaves 38–78 cm by 2–7 mm. Uppermost spatheoles glabrous. Peduncle 5–8 mm long, c. 1/3 times as long as the spatheole, white hairy. Capitules long-persistent. Involucral spikelets conspicuous, pairs unequally inserted, male; lower glumes linear-lanceolate, 6.5–10 by 1–1.5 mm, acuminate, herbaceous, 11-nerved, glabrous or distally with bulbous based bristles; upper glumes 3-nerved. Fertile spikelets 1, 7–9 mm long (incl. callus), callus 1–2.5 mm long, hairs brown, 1.5–3 mm long; lower glumes castaneous, apex truncate, surface puberulous. Awn very short (column more or less straight) to well-developed, imperfect or perfect, 8.5–40 mm long, column 7.5–20 mm long (i.s.), straight, puberulous, hairs white (i.s.). Anthers 1.7–4 mm long, purple i.s. Pedicel glabrous. Pedicelled spikelets 2, male, 6–8.5 mm long; lower glumes apex acuminate, glabrous.

Distribution — Malesia: Papua New Guinea (Central Prov.).

Habitat — Open grassland in stony riverine plain, Eucalypt savannah, fire resistant. 15–45 m altitude.

Collector’s notes — Tall grass. Strong tussocks, 15–20 cm diam. Culms 3–6, erect or arching, up to more than 3.5 m tall, basal parts distichous. Inflorescence leaning.

Notes — In Papua New Guinea the species is restricted to an area around Port Moresby, Central Prov. Records for Celebes ( Henty 1969) and Wetar ( Leach & Dunlop 1993) most likely are misidentifications ( T. villosa ?).

Sometimes ( Heyligers 1277, Schodde 2789; L) the inflorescences appear to be awnless, but it is not clear to me whether this is due to real absence, or that the awns have been shed.

The epithet ‘ nova­guineensis ’ was first proposed by Ohwi on labels in BO of March 1944, but it was not published. Reeder did not know about this, but Jansen did! Vouchers for Ohwi are Brass 3589, 3710.