Poaceae
Thysanolaena

Thysanolaena latifolia (Roxb. ex Hornem.) Honda

First published in J. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, Sect. 3, Bot. 3: 312 (1930)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical Asia. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms 200-400 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-2 mm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; 30-60 cm long; 30-70 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 30-60 cm long; 15-30 cm wide; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches appressed, or spreading. Panicle branches stiff; bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1-2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 0.5-1 mm long; scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 1.5-2 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with the pedicel; readily shedding fertile florets; pedicel base truncate.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 1.5-2 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with the pedicel; readily shedding fertile florets; pedicel base truncate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.65 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.7 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to fertile lemma; lanceolate; 1.8 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-3 -veined; eciliate on margins, or ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.4 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 0.5 length of lemma. Rhachilla extension 0.1 length of fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2. Anthers 2; 0.6-1 mm long. Stigmas 2. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 0.5-0.6 mm long. Hilum punctiform.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, east tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Pacific: north-central.
Reference
Arundineae. FTA.
[GB]

Common Names

unknown
brown heart, kaurs grass, tiger grass

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • 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 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images