Poaceae
Arundinella

Arundinella nepalensis Trin.

First published in Gram. Panic.: 62 (1826)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Africa, S. Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China, N. & E. Australia. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms erect; 60-180 cm long; 1.5-5 mm diam. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 8-30 cm long; 3-10 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade apex obtuse; hardened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence. Panicle open; lanceolate; 10-40 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Panicle branches angular; scaberulous. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; angular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded; obtuse. Floret callus hairs 0.2-0.3 length of lemma.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded; obtuse. Floret callus hairs 0.2-0.3 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume ovate; 3-5 mm long; 0.6-0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate, or setaceously attenuate. Upper glume ovate; 1.5-2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea; persisting on inflorescence. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1.3 length of fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; lanceolate in profile; 2-2.5 mm long; coriaceous; dark brown; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 4-6 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea lanceolate; with auriculate flaps; 1 length of lemma; coriaceous; 2 -veined. Palea surface asperulous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1.7 mm long. Stigmas 2; protandrous; laterally exserted.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong. Hilum punctiform. Endosperm farinose.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia and China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China. Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Arundinelleae. WDC.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136642016/136642026

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images