Poaceae
Mnesithea

Mnesithea mollicoma (Hance) A.Camus

First published in Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 25: 57 (1919)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is China (Guangdong, Guangxi) to W. Malesia and Philippines (Palawan). It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms robust; 35-70 cm long. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths keeled; pubescent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 25-50 cm long; 10-20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole linear. Racemes 1; single; smoothly terete; 4-8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; angular; 2-2.5 mm wide; glabrous on surface. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 3-4 mm long; with the lower often bearing triads. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform; with simple rim. Spikelets appressed; in pairs, or in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1-2 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels columnar; semiterete; 3.8 mm long; tip cupuliform.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; lanceolate; 0.6 mm long; shorter than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes winged on keels.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 3.6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely. Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; lanceolate; 0.6 mm long; shorter than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes winged on keels.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 3.6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; asymmetrical; 1 length of spikelet; indurate; 2-keeled; winged on keel; winged narrowly; winged near apex; 6 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume surface tuberculate; pubescent; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; asymmetrical; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 2.6 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.8 length of lemma. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.4 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Palea 0.66 length of lemma.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia.
Reference
Andropogoneae. Gilliland.
[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 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