Poaceae
Tenaxia

Tenaxia cumminsii (Hook.f.) N.P.Barker & H.P.Linder

First published in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 97: 352 (2010)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Pakistan to Himalaya. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rootstock evident. Butt sheaths coriaceous; yellow; glossy; glabrous, or pubescent. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 30-60 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; involute, or convolute; 15-30 cm long; 1-2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth, or scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; 6-12.5 cm long; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose. Panicle branches glabrous, or pilose. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 15-25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5-0.75 mm long; bearded. Floret callus hairs 3.5 mm long.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 15-25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5-0.75 mm long; bearded. Floret callus hairs 3.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; shiny; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate, or elliptic; 15-25 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate, or elliptic; 15-25 mm long; 1.5-2.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 9.5-10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above; without hair tufts. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lobes 3.5 mm long; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 22-25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 3-4 mm long. Lateral lemma awns arising on apex of lobes; 6-8 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4.5-5.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid; 2.3 mm long.
Distribution
Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Arundineae. 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

    • '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 2025. 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 2025. 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