Poaceae
Saccharum

Saccharum wardii (Bor) Bor ex Cope

First published in Kew Bull. 35: 702 (1980)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Assam to Myanmar. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 200-300 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long; scarious. Leaf-blade base tapering to the midrib. Leaf-blades 50-100 cm long; 10-25 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Panicle open; ovate; 10-20 cm long; 5-10 cm wide. Panicle axis with scattered hairs, or pilose. Racemes 5-10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; villous on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels filiform; villous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 4-4.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus square; 0.5 mm long; bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs purple; 8-9 mm long; 2 length of spikelet.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 4-4.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus square; 0.5 mm long; bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs purple; 8-9 mm long; 2 length of spikelet.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 4-4.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. 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; 3 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; hyaline; ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma linear; 3 mm long; hyaline. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; straight; 20-25 mm long overall. Palea 0.5 mm long; 0.15 length of lemma; hyaline.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2.5 mm long; purple.
Distribution
Asia-tropical: Indo-China.
Reference
Andropogoneae. Bor 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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[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