Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Saccharum L.

Saccharum filifolium Steud.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Afghanistan to Himalaya.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths coriaceous; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; robust; 100-200 cm long; woody. Culm-nodes bearded. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flexuous; terete; 25-50 cm long; 1-3 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle hirsute above. Panicle open; lanceolate; 13-20 cm long; 3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches simple. Racemes 4-8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; pilose on surface. Rhachis hairs 4-6 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels linear; ciliate; with 4-6 mm long hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 4-8 mm long; 0.9-1 length of spikelet.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 4-8 mm long; 0.9-1 length of spikelet.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner above; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface flat. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner above; without keels. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline; ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline. Lemma apex dentate, or lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 10-30 mm long overall. Palea absent or minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; ciliate. Anthers 3.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: western Asia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Andropogoneae. Fl Pak 1993.

Doubtfully present in:

East Himalaya

Native to:

Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, West Himalaya

Saccharum filifolium Steud. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Ahmad, S. [25147], Pakistan K000245561 lectotype Yes
Royle, J.F. [s.n.], India K000943371 Yes
Royle, J.F. [s.n.], India K000943370 Yes

First published in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 409 (1854)

Accepted by

  • Bor, N.L. (1970). Flora Iranica 70: 1-573. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Cope, T.A. (1982). Flora of Pakistan 143: 1-678. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
  • Kandwal, M.K. & Gupta, B.K. (2009). An update on grass flora of Uttarkhand Indian Journal of Forestry 32: 657-668.
  • Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Bor, N.L. (1970). Flora Iranica 70: 1-573. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Kandwal, M.K. & Gupta, B.K. (2009). An update on grass flora of Uttarkhand Indian Journal of Forestry 32: 657-668.
  • Noltie, H.J. (2000). Flora of Bhutan 3(2): 457-883. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
  • Press, J.R. et al. (2000). Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal: i-x, 1-430. Natural History Museum, London.

  • 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/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0