Corresponding author: Priyanka Agnihotri (
Academic editor: Marcin Nobis
Prasad D, Kumar R, Jaiswal S, Yadav R, Tiwari S, Agnihotri P (2022) An update on the taxonomy of
The genus
In the present study, we also lectotypify the names
This study is based on an examination of herbarium specimens as well as field collections belonging to
Morphological characters used in the present study.
Morphological characters | Character abbreviation (unit) |
---|---|
Panicle length | |
Ligule length | |
Lower glume length | |
Lower glume width | |
Upper glume length | |
Upper glume width | |
Lemma length | |
Palea length | |
Awn length | |
Rachilla hairs length | |
Lemma nerves prolongation length (intermediate nerve and lateral nerve) | |
Lemma base to awn insertion point length | |
Awn insertion point to lemma tip length | |
Ratio: lower glume length to upper glume length |
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Ratio: lower glume width to lower glume length |
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Ratio: lemma length to lower glume length |
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Ratio: palea length to lemma length |
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Ratio: rachilla hair length to lemma length |
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Ratio: awn length to lemma length |
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Ratio: awn insertion points to lemma tip, to lemma base to awn insertion point |
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For the micro-morphological study of
Specimens of
Analysis of selected morphological characters of
Box plots for selected morphological variables showing mean (cross), mean ± SD (box), outliers (dot) and range of variation (whiskers) for
The first principal component (
Projection of variables on principal component (
Scatterplot of lemma nerve prolongation length (
On the adaxial surface of leaves,
Geographic distribution of
India. Nagaland [earlier in Assam], Naga hills, Japvo range, 9,500 ft [2895 m], September 1937,
A perennial, rhizomatous, robust grass, 50–100 cm tall. Culms 40–80 cm long, simple, terete, glabrous, 2–3 nodes below the panicle. Node glabrous, compressed. Leaf sheaths split, overlapping, loose, connate toward base, smooth, sometimes scaberulous. Leaf blades 7–20 × 0.3–0.7 cm, flat, narrowly-linear, adaxial scabrous with distantly pilose and abaxial surface scabrous; apex attenuate; margin scabrid. Ligules 0.75–4.2 mm long, membranous, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface scabrous; apex obtuse, lacerate. Inflorescence a panicle, 5–18 × 5–8 cm, very lax with spreading branches; lower panicle branches paired or in whorls of 3–5; 1–8 cm long, almost smooth or sometime scabrous, filiform, flexuous. Rachis slender, glabrous or scabrous. Spikelets 5.1–6.7 × 1.5–2 mm, lanceolate to wedge shaped at maturity, bearing 1-floret, disarticulating above the glume and below the floret, greenish with pink tinged; glumes subequal, persistent; floret hermaphroditic. Pedicel shorter than spikelet, slender, scabrous. Lower glume 3.7–5.2 × 0.65–1.3 mm, 1-nerved, 1-keeled, lanceolate, greenish with pink tinge near margin, scaberulous to somewhat glabrous; apex acuminate; margin narrowly hyaline, entire; keel scabrous. Upper glume 3.8–5.4 × 0.87–1.34 mm, 3-nerved, 1-keeled, lanceolate, greenish with pink tinged, scabrous; apex acuminate; margin narrowly hyaline, entire; keel scabrous. Callus evenly bearded, hairs 1.1–1.9 mm long, nearly half of the length of lemma or shorter. Lemma 3.1–4.3 × 1.0–1.6 mm, 5-nerved, membranous, surface scaberulous with papillate, awned; apex acute with 4-nerve prolongation 0.27–0.9 mm long; margin hyaline. Rachilla 1.2–1.9 mm long, penicillate hairy, usually bare at base; rachilla with hairs 2.5–4.9 mm long. Awn 2.8–5.1 mm long, straight, filiform, slender, scabrous-antrorse, exerted from the spikelet, arising from above the middle of lemma back. Palea 1.8–2.7 mm long, 2-nerved, 2-keeled, hyaline-membranous, rounded on back; apex slightly bifid. Lodicules 2, 0.7–0.8 mm long, lanceolate. Stamens 3; anthers 1.5–2.3 mm long, narrowly linear. Mature caryopsis not seen.
September to October (flowering and fruiting).
Box plot for vertical distribution of
1 | Leaf blades pilose on adaxial surface; panicle branches widely spreading; nerve prolongation of lemma conspicuous with (0.3–)0.4–0.7(–0.9) mm long |
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– | Leaf blades without hairs on adaxial surface; panicle branched ascending; nerve prolongation of lemma usually absents, if present then < 0.4 mm long |
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2 | Leaf blades with prominent grooves and deep furrows; panicle (6–)11–18(–25) cm long; awns usually strongly geniculate, rarely straight with (3.3–)5.0–6.8(–7.8) mm long |
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– | Leaf blades without prominent grooves and deep furrows: panicles (1.5–)4–7(–9.0) cm long; awns not geniculate and straight with (1.6–)2.3–3.2(–4.5) mm long |
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While searching for Hooker’s specimen(s) belonging to the name
At
Since Grisebach examined Hooker’s specimens housed at K for his new species
In addition to this, for the var.
The authors would like to thank the Prof. Saroj K. Barik, Director of the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India, for providing facilities and encouragement; Dr. Tariq Husain, former chief scientist of the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, India, for his consistent guidance; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Sikkim Biodiversity Board of Sikkim for permitting access to the grass diversity of East Sikkim; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Dehradun, Uttarakhand for giving the permission to collect voucher specimens from Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) and Valley of Flower’s National Park (VoFNP). We also thank the curators of the following herbaria:
This work is a part of DP & RK PhD Thesis, co-funded by CSIR, New Delhi, India; and was also supported by SERB New Delhi under CRG scheme (grant: CRG/2021/000720).
Quantitative data of morphological characters and elevation data of
table
Morphological and Elevation (m).