Flora of New Zealand Series

Himalayan fairy grass

Tall robust clumps. Leaf-sheath stiff, ± keeled, often conspicuously purple, with scattered long silky hairs, more densely hairy below collar. Ligule 2-3.5 mm, membranous, obtuse, short-ciliate. Leaf-blade 20-60 cm × 4-10 mm, stiff, flat or folded, gradually tapering, midrib pale green, conspicuous below, abaxially with scattered fine hairs, adaxially glabrous; margins closely, finely scabrid, tip very finely acute. Culm 40-80 cm, stiff, purple-green to yellow-green, nodes purplish, internodes with long fine silky hairs below panicle. Panicle 10-20 cm, golden brown, ± fan-shaped; rachis long silky hairy. Racemes 3.5-10.5 cm, numerous, silky, » panicle rachis. Spikelets numerous; florets ¼-⅓ length of soft, brownish cream, spreading involucral hairs; pedicels purplish, short pedicels = spikelets, long pedicels » spikelets, ± 3-angled. Glumes 1.6-2.8 mm, ± equal, oblong-lanceolate, acute, brownish, finely mucronate or entire, minutely scabrid above on nerves and often purple towards hyaline tip; lower 3-(5)-nerved, margins ciliate, upper 1-(3)-nerved. Lower floret Ø: lemma 1.6-2.6 mm, lanceolate, acute, sparsely, finely prickle-toothed at centre. Upper floret ⚥: lemma 1.6-2.2 mm; awn 8.5-11 mm; palea 1-1.5 mm, apex sometimes irregularly bifid; lodicules 0; anthers 1-1.4 mm; gynoecium: ovary 0.5-0.7 mm, stigma-styles 2.6-3 mm; caryopsis 1-1.5 mm. Fig. 24.

N.: northern half. Waste areas, roadsides.

Naturalised from India.

A garden escape which is spreading.

Fig. 24 Miscanthus nepalensis S, spikelet pair, × 9; G 1, lower glume ventral view, × 24; G 2, upper glume ventral and lateral view, × 24; L 1, lemma of lower Ø floret, × 24; L 2, lemma of upper ⚥ floret lateral view, × 24; P, palea of upper floret, × 24; O, ovary, styles and stigmas, × 24; St, stamens, × 24. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X7T]