Lophatherum gracile Brongn.
Family
Gramineae
Synonyms
None
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Rumput kelurut, rumput jarang, rumput bulu (Peninsular). |
| Indonesia | Rumput bambu, tangkur gunung (Sundanese). |
| Thailand | Phai pen lek (Trang), yaa khui mai phai (Prachin Buri). |
| Vietnam | D[aj]m tr[us]c di[eej]p, c[or] m[aa]y, c[or] l[as] tre. |
Geographical Distributions
L. gracile is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia, from southern India, Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, southern China and Thailand to Korea, Japan, the whole Malaysian region and northern Australia.
Description
This is a perennial and tufted herb, which can reach up to 120 cm tall, with short and branched rhizome. Roots are fibrous, locally thickened to spindle-shaped tubers, which are up to 4 cm long and erect, compressed and hollow culms.
Leaves are distichously alternate arranged, simple, ovate-lance-shaped, 10-30 cm x 1-5.5 cm. It is contracted into 6-18 mm long pseudo-petiole at base, acuminate at apex, scabrous margins, smooth to hairy and distinctly cross-veined. Sheath is hairless, but margins are ciliate. Ligule is very short and truncate.
Inflorescence is a spike-like panicle, up to 45 cm long, consisting of irregularly and distantly placed spiciform racemes that up to 15 cm long with spikelets are in 2 rows. The 9-13 mm long spikelets are ovate-lance-shaped, very short stalk, with 1 bisexual floret, which is having lower glume with a size of 3.5-4.5 mm long and 5-veined. The upper glume is 5-6.5 mm long and 5-7-veined. The lemma is 6-7 mm long and 7-9-veined while the palea is 5-6 mm long and strongly 2-veined. Spikelet is on top with 5-13 sterile lemmas, which are gradually becoming smaller and retrorsely scaberulous awns up to 2 mm long. Lodicules are broadly wedge-shaped. There are 2 stamens with linear anthers. The ovary is with 2 long styles that connate at base and long stigmas.
Fruit is an oblong-fusiform caryopsis and about 3.5 mm long.
Ecology / Cultivation
L. gracile usually occurs in mixed forest, in shaded, not too dry localities up to 1500 m altitude. It is locally common.
Line Drawing / Photograph
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References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3.
