Table Of ContentBLUMEA 46 (2001) 399-420
Revision of Eremochloa
(Gramineae-Andropogoneae-Rottboelliinae)
A.G. Buitenhuis & J.F. Veldkamp
Nationaal Herbarium Nederland,Universiteit Leidenbranch,
P.O.Box9514,2300RALeiden,The Netherlands
Summary
ThegenusEremochloa Buse (Gramineae)isrevised. Eleven species (2new) andtwo varietiesare
recognized.Foronespecies anew namewasnecessary. The genus appears tobemost similarto
Rhytachne Desv. ofthe Andropogoneae-Rottboelliinae.
Key words:Eremochloa,Andropogoneae,Gramineae.
Introduction
Eremochloawasfirst describedby Buse(1854) basedonaspecimen inthe Junghuhn
herbariumcollectedbyLudwig Hornerinthegrasslands ('prairienPadanglawas') near
Portibi, Tapanuli, Sumatra,whichhenamedafter its discoverer:E. horneriBuse.In
hiscomments hementionedNardus ciliarisL.(1753), andsuggested thatthis might
very wellbelong to hisnew genus(in hispersonal copy, now inL, henotedthathis
remarks ontheLinnaeanspecies oughttobe deleted).In fact, as was pointed out by
Munro(1862: as Ischaemum leersioidesMunro, asynonym) the taxa proved to be
conspecific, andthecorrect name isE. ciliaris(L.) Merr.
Eremochloais a rathercuriousnamefora grass growingin Sumatrangrasslands,
fortheGreekwords 'eremos' and 'chloe' translateto 'desertgrass'. Backer(1936)
has suggested 'grass ofadrysunny place'.
As farastheapplication ofthenameEremochloatothis genusis concerned,there
is asmallcomplication, previously outlinedbyVeldkamp etal.(1986: 293):
"Brongniart(1831) whenhedescribedCoelorachisas a'new' genus,identifiedthe
only species withAegilops muricataRetz., now Eremochloamuricata (Retz.) Hack.
His description andplate, however,werebased ontwo specimens fromMalesia, and
fromtheseitis clearthathemisidentifiedthem.So, whatis thetypeofCoelorachis?
SomewillarguethatsincethecombinationC. muricatawasbasedon Aegilopsmuri-
cata,thetypespecimen ofthatnameisalsothetypeofthegeneric nameCoelorachis.
Theresultofthisis thenthatCoelorachismustreplace the nameEremochloaBuse,
asthe latterdatesfrom 1854.This is obviously a mostundesirableconsequence,as
Coelorachiswillthenbeusedin a sense differentfromgeneral and ancientcustom.
Supporters ofthislineofreasoning willsurely favouraproposal forconservationof
1) Correspondingauthor: e-mail [email protected]
400 BLUMEA Vol. 46, No. 2, 2001
Coelorachis. Logically, they then shouldregard Brongniart's original material,the
base forhis description andplate, asthe preferred lectotype.
Others, takingadifferentline,willregardtheprotologue toconsistoftwo discordant
elements:thematerialonwhichthedescription andplatewerebased,andthereference
to the basionym. The combination Coelorachis muricata will then still remain a
synonym ofEremochloamuricata, ofcourse, but the description andplate can be
referredtoas Coelorachismuricataauct. nonBrongn., andthiswillbeconsideredto
bethe typeofthegeneric name.
Theresultofbothactionsis thesame,butthelastoption is theleastinvolvedand
thereforetobepreferred: thetypeofthenameCoelorachismustbesoughtamongthe
twocollections seenanddescribed byBrongniart."
Thenumberofspecies inthegenusvariesbetweenauthors.Bor(1952) inhisnotes
onthis genus, suggested thatthere are six species, mainly confinedtoSoutheastAsia.
Pohl(1980) is morecorrect whenhe writesthat there are c. 10. All otherliterature
suggestsany numberbetween6and 10.
As said, Linnaeus described the first species but so completely misplaced it in
Nardus L. thatitremainedanoverlookednamefor along time.
Retzius (1781)describedanotherone, firstinAegilopsL., but soon(1783)recog-
nizing this error,placed itinRottboelliaL.f., whichwas asurprisingly good observa-
tioninviewofthesubsequently assumedrelationships maintainedforaboutoneand
ahalfcenturies.
Rottler (1803) annotateda specimen as "genus proprium Manisuri proximum",
ManisurisL. then being awaste basketforrottboellioidtaxa.
Notwithstanding theseearly suggestions, fornearly 150years various authorsre-
garded thegenus close to or even part ofIschaemumL., e.g. Trinius (1832), Buse
(1854),Steudel(1854, inanunnamedsectionofAndropogon L.including Ischaemum),
Munro(1860), and Bentham(1881, as Ischaemum sect. PectinariaBenth.). Hackel
(1887)raised sect.Pectinariato genericlevel, butinthegenerally overlookedErrata
retractedthenamefortheolderEremochloa,making thefirstaninvalidgenericname.
Inhisphylogenetic tree (1889,t.2)hejoined Eremochloadirectlyto Ischaemum,but
(p. 261) notedsimilaritiesto Apocopis NeesandRottboellia, also.
Hitchcock(1935) apparently wasthefirsttoagreewithRetziusandrecognizing its
rottboellioidnature placed itbetweenManisurisandHackelochloaKuntze.Thefirst
then was stilla taxonomicdustbin, the latterhasnow beenreduced toMnesitheaby
Veldkamp etal. (1986). Mostsubsequent authors agreed with Hitchcock, e.g. Keng
(1939)whoregarded itas highlyspecialized whetheritwasplacedintheIschaemeae
orRottboellieae,butincludeditafterRatzeburgia Kunth, linkedtothatby E. ophiur-
oides(Munro) Hack. In his phylogenetic diagram he derivedboth from Mnesithea.
Veldkamp et al.(1986)reducedRatzeburgia toMnesitheaas well.
Pilger (1940, 1954)includedEremochloaintheRottboelliinaeJ. Preslnext toHe-
marthriaR.Br. LikeHackel, Bor(1952) saw astrong resemblancetoApocopis, but
mentionedanumberof important differences,e.g. structureoftheinflorescence, ap-
pendages ofthe lowerglumeofthesessilespikelet, awnedsecondlemma,numberof
stamens,andpresenceoflodicules, fromwhichitisclearthatthetwoare actually not
A.G.Buitenhuis & J.F.Veldkamp: Revision ofEremochloa 401
much related atall andthatany similaritiesare due to convergencies. He made no
reference totheRottboelliinaeatall.
For completeness' sake Roberty (1960) mustbe mentioned,whoina quitenovel
notionreducedthegenustothemonotypic sectionEremochloaofSehimaForssk., in-
cludedintheIschaemastraeStapf. However,becauseoftheavailableepithetPectinaria
hisuseofEremochloaatthislevel is superfluous. Subsequently hedividedthesingle
species into8 subvarieties.
Itmustbenotedthatallthenewinfraspecific combinationsinthisworkareinvalid
being incontradictionwithArt. 2and5 oftheCode(1994) (Roberty, p.25: "we have
adopted anintraspecific hierarchy inwhichtheusualtermshavebeenmaintained
...
butwithanew meaning (!)...Subspecies, varieties, subvarietiesthereforehavebecome
temporary groupsofincompletely definedforms, not successively subordinated(!),
butallied by the degreeofdivisionpresently visiblein thespecies concerned."
Clayton(1973)inanumericalanalysis oftheawnless generaoftheAndropogoneae
(=Rottboelliinae)foundEremochloaintheCoelorachidastraeclosetoRhytachne Desv.
Clayton & Renvoize (1986) depicted itas derivedfromCoelorachis (t. 24, p. 355).
The'diagnose' option ofINTKEY(cf.Dallwitz, 1980;Watsonetal., 1986)gaveas
closestgeneraindecreasing morphological similarityGlyphochloa Clayton, Manisuris,
PhacelurusGriseb., PseudovossiaA.Camus,Rhytachne, Ratzeburgia, andMnesithea
of theRottboelliinae.Apocopis differedin such a greatnumberof charactersthat its
relationship (except as amemberoftheAndropogoneae) is obviously remote.
Kellogg & Birchler(1993) in acladistic analysis ofthe samedataconfirmedthe
rottboellioidrelationship. They found Eremochloaclosely associatedwith but not
part of the Rottboelliinae.Together with Rhytachne the two are sisters ofthe rott-
boellioidassemblage containing the Rottboelliinaeand‘Maydeae Harv. By theway,
inthisanalysis Sehimastands attheroot ofallAndropogoneae.
Inourview, becauseofthe disarticulating rhachis, thedorsoventrally compressed
sessile spikelets, the veryreduced pedicelled ones, andthe absenceofany traceofa
lemmatalawn, thegenusis most certainly rottboellioid.Theanalysis ofClayton on
oneside,andKellogg & Birchlerandour ownontheother, suggestthatRhytachne is
possibly the mostsuitableoutgroupforfurtheranalysis. Even so, someresemblance
toMnesitheais present. IfasinglejointofM. glandulosa (Trin.) deKoning & Sosef
is taken[also suggested by Clayton & Renvoize(1986: 365) as Coelorachisglandu-
losa], anidentificationwith Eremochloais highly suggestive: themarginal tubercles
onthe lowerglume ofthesessile spikelet mightwell beapremonition ofthespines
foundinEremochloa,whichmaybe quiteshortandinconspicuous inE. ophiuroides,
anyway (seePohl, 1980:t.78). SeealsothenoteonR. muticaLlanosunderE.muricata.
In view ofthe analysis this resemblance seems most likely a convergence. In
Mnesitheathecompound inflorescenceis quite different,andthefirstfloretis sterile
toepaleate. |Veldkamp etal. (1986) erroneously stated forEremochloa(key p.301,
lead 4b) that the first floret wouldbe sterile, and (lead9a) therhachis tough, not
fragile.] Itmay benotedthatthesculptureofthefirst glumeofthe sessile spikelet in
thespecies ofMnesitheais extraordinarily variable,andthepresenceofthemarginal
tuberclescouldwellbea variationon atheme.
402 BLUMEA Vol. 46, No.2, 2001
DISTRIBUTION
Somespecies have disjunct distributions,ofwhichwenote:
Eremochloabimaculata:NThailand,CCambodia,VietnamtoNCentralChina,then
'jumping' to theWesternProvince ofPapua NewGuineaandnorthernAustralia.
The disjunction crossing theWallaceLine(in whatever definition)is reminiscent
ofthatofGermainiacapitata Balansa&Poitr., whichalsooccurs inIndochinaand
S China,andthenintheAru Islands, scatteredly inNewGuinea,and sofaroncein
Queensland. Anotherexample is Hemarthriapratensis (Balansa) Clayton from
ThailandtoVietnamandtheWesternProvinceofPapua NewGuinea.
Eremochloaciliatifoliawas describedfromSBurma,otherwisewehaveonly seenit
fromSVietnam.
Eremochloaeriopoda: NE Thailandto Vietnam, then 'jumping' to SE Celebes,
reminiscentofthedistributionofAponogeton lakhonensisA. Camus.
Eremochloamuricata: S India, Sri Lanka, 'jumping' to Burma andThailand, and
again to Cape Flattery, Cook District, Queensland, Australia. Thelatter place is
quiteremote and very littlevisited, so humanintroductionseems unlikely. Itwas
only found once,and thenativetribesmendo not know it. Thecollector, Mr. I.B.
Staples (Mareeba),thought apossible mix-upwithIndiancollectionsmost unlikely
(Mr. J. Clarkson, MBA, inlitt.).
Eremochloapetelotii: wehaveseen only 3 collectionsfromthreedifferentcountries:
EThailand,CCambodia,andCVietnam.As itis saidtobe commoninrice fields
thisscattered distributionis mostlikely dueto undercollecting.
METHODS
Thecompilation andsubsequent analysis ofthedatawas greatly aidedby theuse of
theDELTA (Dallwitz, 1980;Watson etal., 1986)and affiliatedMS-DOS programs:
TAXASOFT(byE.J. Gouda,Utrecht) forthegeneral managementofthedata,INTKEY
(L. Watson & M. Dallwitz, vs. 3.14, 1998) for various analyses, comparisons, and
diagnoses, andDEDITandKCONI (R.J.Pankhurst, vs. 1995,1992,resp.) forthecon-
structionofthe keys.
EREMOCHLOA
Eremochloa Busein Miq.,PI. Jungh.(Feb. 1854)preprint 17;(Aug. 1854)357;Bor,Kew Bull. 1
(1952)309.—SehimaForssk. sect.Eremochloa Roberty,Boissiera9 (1960)317,nom.superfl.
(seenext).—Type:Eremochloa horneri Buse [= Eremochloa ciliaris (L.)Merr.].
IschaemumL. sect. Pectinaria Benth.,J. Linn. Soc.,Bot. 19 (1882)71. —Pectinaria Benth. ex
Hack, in Engl. & Prantl,Nat. Pflanzenfam. 2, 2 (1887)26, 126,nom. inval. — Lectotype:
Ischaemum ophiuroidesMunro [=Eremochloa ophiuroides(Munro)Hack.], here designated.
Sehimaauct.nonForssk.
Caespitose perennials, branching extra-vaginally atbase. Ligulecollar-shaped, mem-
branous.Bladesflaccid, linear.Inflorescence aspike-like, simple, solitary,espatheate
A.G.Buitenhuis & J.F.Veldkamp: Revision ofEremochloa 403
raceme.Racemerhachisundulate,jointsdisarticulating, clavate,terete,withoutabasal
callus-knob. Spikelets paired, second. Sessile spikelets imbricate, not embeddedin
thejoints, bisexual, dorsoventrally compressed. Glumes very dissimilar, awnless.
Lowerglume2-keeled, 4-9-nerved, submarginally setose, setae scaberulous.Upper
glumeovate, acute,keeled, 3-nerved, nerves distally with transverse veinlets.First
floret paleate, male.First lemmas more or less equalling the second ones, entire,
0-nerved.Secondlemmaawnless. Palea asthelemma.Lodicules2, free,fleshy, gla-
brous.Stamens3(see note).Stylesfreetotheirbases. Stigmas 2,red. Fruitsmall, not
grooved, dorsoventrally compressed, smooth. Embryo large. Pedicels free ofthe
rhachis.Pedicelledspikelets absent,or moreor lessreducedtoasubule,rarely better
developed, andexceptionally 2-floweredwiththefirstfloretmale,thesecondonebi-
sexual(onceinE.bimaculata,onceinE.ophiuroides), anthers3. x =9 (E. ophiuroides).
Distribution— 11species fromIndiaandSriLankatoSChina,southwardsthrough
Indochina,toAustralia.InMalesiaonly intheWesternProvinceofPapua NewGuinea
(E.bimaculata, E. ciliaris) andafewplaces inSumatra,PeninsularMalaysia, Singa-
pore, Luzon,Aru Isl., IrianJaya (E. ciliaris), andCelebes (E. ciliaris, E. eriopoda).
Note— The stamens are nearly always 3,but in the only floretofE. lanceolata
that containedany, there were2.These were youngandathird one didnot seemto
have been already lost, but thiscount needsconfirmation.Thereforethe numberof
stamens isomittedinthe descriptions.
KEY TOTHE TAXA
la. Lowerglumeapex withoutapical wings 2
b. Lowerglumeapex withapical wings 6
2a. Pedicel subulate 3
b.Pedicel oblique-obovoid 4
3a. Cataphylls woolly hairy.Culmnodesappressed ciliate.Sheathsglabrous. Ligule
ciliolate.Blades 1.5-4mmwide, glabrous, margins glabrous, acumencuspidate.
Lower glume setae flattenedatbase. — NE & E Thailandto Vietnam, Celebes
5.E.eriopoda
b. Cataphylls glabrous. Culmnodesglabrous. Sheathshirsute.Ligule glabrous. Blades
c. 1 mmwide,pilose, margins pilose, acumen acute.Lowerglume setaeterete.—
Blades 3-6cmlong. Spikelets 3.4-3.6by 1.5-2.5 mm.EThailand
6.E. lanceolata
4a. Ligule ciliolate.Joints atbase with aring ofshortcilia.— Spikelets 1.6-5mm
long. Notin SriLanka 5
b.Ligule glabrous. Jointsglabrous.—Blades2-5mmwide,acumenacute tocuspi-
date.Joints2.9-4.7mmlong. Lowerglumesetaeoftenslightlyexpanded atbase.
Anthersinsecondfloret2.1-2.5mmlong. Pedicelledspikelet reducedtoasubule.
SIndia,Sri Lanka 9.E.pectinata
5a. Blades folded, acumen acute tocuspidate. Joints0.9-3 mmlong.Lowerglume
setae flattenedat base. Anthers in second floret 1.2-2.1 mm long. Pedicelled
spikeletabsent.— Blades2-6mmwide.BurmatoSEChina,Malesia,NAustralia
introducedinCalifornia 3. E. ciliaris
404 BLUMEA Vol. 46, No. 2, 2001
b.Blades flat, acumen retuse. Joints 3-3.4 mm long.Lower glume setae terete,
oftenslightlyexpanded atbase.Anthersinsecondfloretc.2.6mmlong.Pedicelled
spikelet present. — Blades5-10 mm wide.SBurma, SVietnam
4.E. ciliatifolia
6a. Jointsglabrous 7
b. Jointsatbase witharingofshort cilia 9
7a.Blademargins glabrous, pilose,or pectinate atbase.Lowerglumesetae straight,
longestones0.9-1.7mmlong. Pedicel 3-5.2mmlong,0.7-1.2timesas long as
thesessile spikelet. — Bladesfoldedor flat 8
b.Blademargins scabrous.Lowerglume setae hook-like,longestones0.5-0.7mm
long. Pedicel7.5-8.7mmlong, 1.2-1.9times aslong asthesessile spikelet. —
Bladesflat. Setaeterete. Joints2-2.2mmlong. E Thailand,C Cambodia . ..
10.E.petelotii
8a. Culms, sheaths, and blades pilose. Spikelets 3.7-3.9mm long. Lower glume
withsmallapicalwings. Upperglume 3.7-3.9mmlong. Pedicelsubulate,3-3.4
mm long. — Blades 2-3mm wide.N & NEThailand 1.E.attenuata
b.Culms, sheaths,andbladesglabrous, orbladespilose atbase withbulbous-based
hairs, margins glabrous or pectinate atbase. Spikelets 4.5-5 mm long. Lower
glume with large apical wings. Upperglume 4.5-4.9mmlong. Pediceloblique-
obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 4.8-5.2mm long. — S India, SriLanka, Burma,
Thailand:C,SW, Peninsular 7. E.muricata
9a. Culmsbasalinternodeshollow. Spikelets ovate to ellipsoid. Lowerglume setae
straight, flattenedatbase,longest ones0.6-2.5mmlong 10
b.Culmsbasalinternodeswithmarrow. Spikeletsovate-oblong. Lowerglume setae
hook-like, terete,longest ones0.2-0.3mmlong. —Vietnamto CandSChina,
introducedas alawngrasselsewhere(Bombay, Malawi, S USA,Caribbean,Ha-
waii) 8.E. ophiuroides
10a. Bladesacumen acute.Longest setae ofthefirst glume shorterthan thewidthof
theglume. —Thailandto China,Australia 2.E.bimaculata
b.Bladesacumen cuspidate. Longest setae ofthe first glume as long as tolonger
thanthewidthoftheglume. — SriLanka 11.E.zeylanica
1. Eremochloaattenuata Stapf ex Buitenhuis, spec. nov. —Fig. 1
Acongeneribusculmis pilosis,internodiis basalibus cavis, vaginislaminae marginibus
pilosis, articulis glabris,spiculis 3.7-3.9 mmlongis, glumaeprimaesetisteretis saepe
basipaulodilatatis,longissimisglumaelatitudine brevioribus,pedicellosubulato,spicula
pedicellatainevoluta differt.—Typus:Kerr8686 (holoBM;P).
Rhizomeslender. Cataphylls glabrous. Culms 0.16-0.42m long, branching extra-
vaginally atbase,basalinternodeshollow,pilose, nodesglabrous. Sheathspilose.Ligule
0.4-0.6mmlong,ciliolate.Contra-ligule absent.Bladesfolded,7-13cmby2-3mm,
obtuse,acumenacute,pilose, atbasewithbulbous-basedhairs,marginspilose. Racemes
solitary, straight,9-16 cm long. Joints2-3 mmlong, 0.5-0.7 timesas long as the
sessilespikelet,glabrous. Spikelets ovate,3.7-3.9by 1.9-2mm.Lowerglumeglabrous
or sparsely puberulous, 7-9-nerved, nerves distally with transverse veinlets, setae
straight, terete,oftenslightly expanded atbase,longestones 1.4-1.7mmlong, shorter
A.G.Buitenhuis & J.F.Veldkamp: Revision ofEremochloa 405
than the widthofthe glume,apex with small
apical wings, acumen acute.Upperglume 3.7-
3.9mmlong, keeledin themiddleinthelower
halfandalong themargins, glabrous, 3-nerved,
nerves distallywithtransverse veinlets.Anthers
infirst floret c. 1.5 mm long, in second floret
c.2.2mmlong. Fruitellipsoid. Pedicelsubulate,
3-3.4mm long, 0.75-0.9times as long as the
sessile spikelet. Pedicelledspikelet absent.
Distribution—Thailand:N(Chiang Mai:Doi
Sutep), NE(Udawn: Kao Krading).
Habitat—Open grassy ground, dry diptero-
carp forest; c. 1200maltitude.
Fig. 1.Eremochloa attenuataStapfex
Buitenhuis. Lowerglumefrominside;
2.EremochloabimaculataHack. —Fig. 2 jointwithremnantofpedicelledspike-
let[Kerr8686,BM].
Eremochloa bimaculata Hack, inA.DC.,Monogr.Phan.
6(1889)265.— [Sehimaciliare (L.)Robertysubvar.
bimaculatum Roberty, Boissiera 9 (1960) 317, nom.inval.] —Type:Griffith KD 6774 [holo
Bf, fragm.inL;G (fideRoberty, 1960),K],
Eremochloa muricata auct. austr.,non Hack.
Rhizomeslender.Cataphylls glabrous.Culms0.1-0.65mlong,branching extra-vagi-
nally atbase,basalinternodeshollow,glabrous or sometimeshirsute, nodesglabrous
to ciliate.Sheathsglabrous tohirsute.Ligule 0.5-1mmlong, ciliolate.Contra-ligule
absent.Bladesfolded,2-20cmby 1-3mm,obtuse,acumen acute,glabrous orpilose,
sometimesatbase with bulbous-basedhairs, margins glabrous to pilose, sometimes
pectinate atbase. Racemessolitary, straight, 7-27 cm long. Joints 1.5-10mmlong,
0.5-1.4 timesas long as the sessile spikelet, atbase with aring of shortcilia, hairs
0.1-0.3 mmlong. Spikelets ovate toelliptic, 2.8-6.5 by 1.2-2.2mm. Lowerglume
glabrous tosparselypuberulous, 5-8-nerved,nervesnot anastomosing ordistallywith
transverse veinlets, setae straight, flattenedatbase, longest ones0.6-1.5 mm long,
much shorter than the width of the glume, apex with small apical wings, acumen
acute.Upperglume2.8-6.3 mmlong, keeledin
themiddlein thelower 1/2to2/3 andalongthe
margins,glabrous, 3-nerved,nerves distallywith
transverse veinlets.Anthers in firstfloret 1-1.8
mmlong, insecondfloret 1.6-2.3mmlong.Fruit
ellipsoid. Pedicelobliquelyobovoid, 1.6-10mm
long,0.5-1.33timesaslong asthesessilespike-
let.Pedicelledspikelet0.1-5mmlong,reduced
toa very shortrudiment,or asubule, orpresent
as a well-developed spikelet.
Distribution— Burma(?, seenote),Thailand:
Fig. 2.Eremochloa bimaculata Hack.
N(Lampang), E(Si Saket), SE(Chantaburi), C
Lower glumefrom inside;joint with
Cambodia:(Kompong Chhnang),Vietnam:wide-
remnant ofpedicelledspikelet [Grif-
fithKD6774,K]. spread, China: N Central (Sichuan), S Central
406 BLUMEA Vol. 46, No.2, 2001
(Yunnan, Guizhou), SE (Hubei), Malesia: Papua New Guinea (Western Prov.);
Australia:Queensland, NewSouthWales(NCoast, NorthernTablelands,NWSlopes).
Habitat— Savannah forests, deciduous dipterocarp-oak forest, secondary forest,
partial clearings, near dry watercourse, rice fields, common on open, grassy, wet,
badly drained sandy soil (disturbed, e.g. by fire) or on clay, nearswamp, e.g. with
Banksia, Calocedrus, Casuarina,Cunninghamia, Eriachne,Eucalyptus, Hypoxis, Lo-
belia,Melaleuca,Panicum,andPteridium, somewhatsalt tolerant;0-1600maltitude.
Notes — The unknown reviewerreported the species forBurma without further
specification. It is notedfor its disjunct distributionwith theAustralianspecimens
beingslightly differentfromtheContinentalAsianones.Also,theNewGuineamate-
rial, whichone wouldexpect tobe like theAustralian, is, onthecontrary, 'typical'
Asian.Therepresentatives differmoreorless as follows,whichseems insufficientto
distinguishtwo taxa.
- Longest setae offirst glume 0.7-1.5 mm long. Pedicel 1.6-3.6(-4.5)mm long,
0.5-0.8times as long as thesessile spikelet. Pedicelledspikelet c. 0.1 mmlong
E.bimaculata s.s.
- Longest setae of first glume c. 0.6mmlong. Pedicel4.9-10mmlong, 0.8-1.33
timesas long as the sessile spikelet. Pedicelledspikelet(0.1—) 1—5 mm long ..
E.bimaculata inAustralia.
Once acompletely developed second glume was seen ([Hubbard5162,L, from
Queensland, Darling Downs District).
3.Eremochloaciliaris(L.) Merr.—Fig. 3
Eremochloa ciliaris (L.)Merr.,Philipp.J. Sci. 1,Suppl.(1906)331. —Nardus ciliarisL.,Sp. PI.
1(1753)53.—Eremochloa ciliaris (L.)Merr. var.genuinaA.Camus,Fl.Indo-Chine 7(1922)
291,nom.inval. —[Sehimaciliare (L.)Roberty,Boissiera 9(1960)317 (incl.subvar. ciliare),
nom.inval.]—Lectotype: Herb. Linn. 73.7(holoLINN,microficheIDC), here designated.
Eremochloa horneri Buse inMiq.,Pl.Jungh.3(Feb. 1854)preprint 17;(Aug.1854)357.—[Sehima
ciliare (L.)Roberty subvar. horneri Roberty, Boissiera 9 (1960)318, nom. inval.] —Type:
Horner 137 (holoL,no.908.98-77,photoin BRI).
[Ischaemumpectinatumauct.nonTrin.:NeesinMeyen,NovaActaPhys.-Med.Acad.Caes.Leop.-
Carol. Nat.Cur. 19,Suppl.(1841)preprint68;(1843)200,pro specim.Meyens.n.].—.Andropo-
gonfalcatusNeesexSteud.,Syn. PI.Glumac. 1(July 1854)369. —IschaemumfalcatumNees
exThwaites,Enum. PI.Zeyl. (1864)436,pro comb. —Eremochloa falcataHack, in A.DC.,
Monogr.Phan.6(1889)263.—[Sehimaciliare (L.)Roberty subvar.falcatumRoberty, Boissiera
9(1960)318, nom.inval.].—Type:Meyens.n.(holoBt;Herb. Trinius 86.1,LE, fragm.,IDC
microfiche BT16/1).
Ischaemumleersioides Munro [inSeem.,Bot.Voy. Herald.(1857)424,nomen],Proc.Amer.Acad.
Arts 4(1860)363. —Eremochloa leersioides (Munro)Hack,inA.DC.,Monogr.Phan.6(1889)
264. —[Eremochloaleersioides (Munro)Hack. var. genuinaA.Camus,Notul. Syst.(Paris) 3
(1914)86,nom.inval. —Lectotype: C.Wrights.n. (holoK n.v.;L,no.908.90-1813,P),here
designated;'HongKong'.
Eremochloa malayanaRidl., Mat.Fl. MalayPenins. 3 (1907) 155.—Type: Ridley 5154 (holo
SING).
Eremochloa leersioides (Munro)Hack. var. giganteaA.Camus,Notul. Syst. (Paris) 3 (1914)87.
—Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr. var. giganteaA. Camus,Fl.Indo-Chine 7 (1922) 291. —
Type:Eberhardt 1890 (holoP).
A.G.Buitenhuis & J.F.Veldkamp: Revision ofEremochloa 407
Eremochloa leersioides (Munro)Hack.var.pygmaeaA.Camus,Notul. Syst. (Paris) 3(1914)87.
—Eremochloa ciliaris (L.)Merr. var. pygmaea A.Camus, Fl.Indo-Chine 7 (1922)291. —
Lectotype: Bauche 97(holoP); here designated.
Eremochloa leersioides (Munro)Hack.var.thorelii A. Camus,Notul. Syst.(Paris) 3(1914) 87.—
Eremochloa ciliaris (L.)Merr.var.thorelii A.Camus,Fl.Indo-Chine 7 (1922) 291. —Type:
Thorels.n. (holoP).
Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr. var. elata Reeder,J.Arnold Arbor. 29 (1948)351. —Type:Brass
7808 (holoUS).
Rhizomeslender.Cataphylls glabrous orap-
pressed ciliate. Culms 0.11-1.2 m long,
branching extra-vaginally atbase,basalinter-
nodeswithmarrow, or hollowor solid, gla-
brousor sometimeshirsute, nodes glabrous,
ciliateorappressed ciliate.Sheathsglabrous
topilose.Ligule 0.4-1.2 mmlong, ciliolate.
Contra-liguleabsentorrepresentedby a hairy
zone. Bladesfolded,2-23cm by 2-6 mm,
Fig. 3. Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr. obtuse,acumen acute to cuspidate, glabrous
Lower glumefrom inside;jointwithrem- topilose, atbase with bulbous-basedhairs,
nantofpedicelledspikelet[Horner137,L]. marginsglabrous topilose,pectinate atbase.
Racemes 1-3 together, straight to falcate,
4.5-43 cm long. Joints0.9-3 mm long,
0.22-0.75timesas longas the sessilespikelet, atbasewith aringofshortcilia, hairs
0.05-0.7mmlong. Spikelets ovatetoovate-oblong, 1.6-5by 1-3mm.Lowerglume
glabrous to sparsely puberulous, obscurely 6- or 7-nerved, nerves distally with
transverse veinlets, setae straight, flattenedatbase, longestones 1-5mmlong,much
longerthanthewidthoftheglume,apexwithoutapical wings, acumen acute.Upper
glume 1.3-5mmlong,keeledinthemiddlein thelowerhalfandalong themargins,
glabrous topuberulous in thelower half,3-nerved, nerves dis-tallywith transverse
veinlets. Anthers in first floret0.5-2 mm long, in secondfloret 1.2-2.1 mm long.
Fruitellipsoid. Pediceloblique-obovoid, 0.8-3.75mmlong, 0.5-1 timesas long as
thesessile spikelet. Pedicelledspikelet absent.
Distribution—Burma(Pegu valley); Thailand:N(Chiang Mai,Phitsanulok), NE
(Loei,Nong Khai, UdonThani),E(Chaiyaphum, Surin, RoiEt), C(Sing Buri,Bang-
kok), SE (Chon Buri, Trat),SW (Uthai Thani, Ratchaburi), Peninsular(Surat Tani,
Phangnga, Trang, Songkhla, Satun, Narathiwat); Laos; Cambodia: W (Kompong
Chhnang), N (Stung Treng); Vietnam: N (Lang Son, Hai Phong, Kouainak, Hue,
Tourane),S(Saigon); China:SCentral (Yunnan,Guangzhou, Guangxi, Hainan), SE
(Guangdong, Fujian, Macao, HongKong); Taiwan(onceinChanghua, fide Fl.Taiw.
5);Malesia: Sumatra(Padangsidempuan, KotaPinang), PeninsularMalaysia (Kedah,
Kelantan,Pahang), Singapore, Philippines (Luzon), Celebes,AruIsl.,IrianJaya,Papua
New Guinea(Western Prov.), Australia:Northern Queensland (Torres Strait (Badu
Isl., MoaIsl.)),CookDistr.; oncefoundintheUSA['collected beforeaChineseware-
houseatS.Francisco 1862',Anonymous s.n.,MO; Bolanderaccording toTurberin
Nash,Fl. N.Am. 17(1909)95].
Habitat—Prairiesandgrasslands, deciduousdipterocarp orpine forests, disturbed
areas inprimary forest;70-1210maltitude.
408 BLUMEA Vol. 46, No. 2, 2001
Uses — Saidto have none [Backer in Heyne, Kruidachtige grassen van Neder-
landsch-Indie(1922)43;Burkill,Diet. Econ.Prod.Malay Penins.(1935)935;Gilliland,
Rev. Fl. Malaya 3(1971) 277],
Notes — In RahmatSi Toroes3437 (SumatraEast Coast) the normally solitary
spike is split intoafascicleofspikes.
Ms. Camus andReederhave distinguished some varieties,but dueto the general
wide variability thesecannot be maintained[as was also implied by Schmid, Agron.
Trop. (Nogent-sur-Marne) 13(1958) 183-184].
4.Eremochloa ciliatifoliaHack. —Fig. 4
Eremochloa ciliatifoliaHack,inA.DC.,Monogr.Phan. 6(1889)265.—[IschaemumhelferiMunro,
Cat.Griffith,Falconer &HeiferPI.(1865)65,nomen],—Eremochloa helferiMunroexHack,
exHook.f.,Fl.Brit.India 7 (1896)141,nom.superfl.—[Sehimaciliare (L.)Roberty subvar.
ciliatifoliumRoberty,Boissiera 9(1960)318,nom.inval.].—Type:Griffith KD 6776(holoB;
K,L,MO, US).
Rhizomeslender.Cataphylls are gla-
brous.Culms0.2-0.6mlong,branch-
ing extra-vaginally atthebase,basal
internodessolid, glabrous or pilose,
nodes ciliate. Sheaths glabrous, or
margins pilose. Ligule c. 0.4 mm
long,ciliolate.Contra-liguleabsentor
represented by a hairy zone. Blades
flat, 4-15 cm by 5-10 mm, obtuse,
acumen retuse, glabrous to pilose,
margins glabrous topilose. Racemes
Fig. 4.Eremochloa ciliatifolia Hack. Lower glume
solitary, straight, 4-7cmlong. Joints
frominside;jointwithremnantofpedicelledspikelet
3-3.4 mm long, 0.75-0.8 times as [Griffith KD 6776,L].
longasthesessile spikelet, atthebase
witharing ofshortcilia, hairs0.4-0.8mmlong. Spikelets ovate,4-4.1byc.2.2mm.
Lowerglume glabrous, 4-or5-nerved,nerves distallywithtransverse veinlets, setae
straight, terete,oftenslightly expanded atbase,longest ones2.8-3.2mmlong, much
longerthan thewidthoftheglume,apex withoutapical wings, acumen acute.Upper
glume 3.9-4 mm long, keeled in the middle over the entire length andalong the
marginsor inthe lowerhalfandalong themargins, glabrous, 3-nerved,nerves distally
withtransverse veinlets.Anthers in firstfloret c. 2 mmlong, in secondfloretc. 2.6
mm long. Fruit ellipsoid. Pedicel oblique-obovoid, 2.2-2.4mmlong, 0.9-1.4 times
as long as the sessile spikelet. Pedicelledspikelet reduced toa subule, 1.3-3.2mm
long.
Distribution—SBurma,SVietnam(BaiedeCameran,PhuKhanhProv., DacLac
Prov., Lang BianRange, 83km SofPleiku; 15km EofM'Drak).
Habitat—Grasslands, dipterocarp woodland with Heteropogon contortus (L.)
Roem.& Schult. dominantin the understorey, soil sandy or gravely loam, pH 6.0,
locally dominant,c.500 maltitude.
Note— Notethedisjunct distribution.
