Poaceae
Isachne

Isachne pulchella Roth

First published in J.J.Roemer & J.A.Schultes, Syst. Veg., ed. 15[bis]. 2: 476 (1817)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical Asia to Marianas. It is an annual and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/177013/7352160

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms prostrate; slender; 10-25 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades elliptic; 1-4 cm long; 5-10 mm wide; mid-green and glaucous; discolorous with last colour beneath. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; undulate; ciliate; hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; elliptic, or oblong; 3-10 cm long; 0.5-3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading; sparsely divided; 2.5 cm long. Panicle branches straight, or flexuous; glandular. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; glandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5-1.6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5-1.6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1-1.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 0.66-0.75 length of spikelet; herbaceous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1.25 mm long; 0.8 length of spikelet; herbaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1.5 mm long; 5 -veined; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1 mm long; coriaceous; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.3-0.4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: northwestern.
Reference
Isachneae. Bor 1992.
[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

    • 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 2026. 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 2026. 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