Poaceae
Isachne

Isachne kunthiana (Wight & Arn. ex Steud.) Miq.

First published in Fl. Ned. Ind. 3: 460 (1857)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is India, Sri Lanka. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10-60 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths pilose; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or elliptic, or oblong, or ovate; 1-6 cm long; 3-15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous. Leaf-blade apex acute, or acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 2-10 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or obovate; dorsally compressed; 2-3.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or obovate; dorsally compressed; 2-3.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.9-3.2 mm long; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume surface hispidulous; hairy above. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 2-2.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels. Upper glume surface setose; hairy above. Upper glume apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; 2-3.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea chartaceous; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Malesia, and Papuasia.
Reference
Isachneae. Nair 1993.
[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]

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/

  • 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