Poaceae
Isachne

Isachne globosa (Thunb.) Kuntze

First published in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 778 (1891)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Oman, Tropical & Subtropical Asia to W. Pacific. It is a perennial or annual and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual, or perennial. Glands annular. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent, or prostrate; 10-90 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1-4 mm long. Leaf-blade base cuneate, or broadly rounded, or cordate. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate, or ovate; 1-10 cm long; 4-20 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins unthickened, or cartilaginous; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 1-15 cm long; 1-8 cm wide. Panicle branches capillary. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; eglandular, or glandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets orbicular; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets orbicular; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic to orbicular; 1.4-2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 0.8-1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 1-1.8 mm long; 0.75-1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic to ovate; 1.5-2 mm long; 1.3-1.5 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous, or cartilaginous; glabrous. Fertile florets bisexual, or female. Fertile lemma ovate, or orbicular; 1-1.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5-7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.75-1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, and northwestern.
Reference
Isachneae. =Isachne dispar, Isachne miliacea. Gilliland 1997.
[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/168638/1193827

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

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2025. 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 2025. 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