Silky Kangaroo Grass

This is a giant grass with stout culms and a large, spathate panicle lacking prominent, geniculate awns. The name Pseudanthistiria emei-nica is based on a few anomalous specimens from Sichuan (Emei Shan) in which one or both of the homogamous spikelet pairs have been replaced by a normal spikelet pair.

Perennial. Culms tufted, stout, 2–3.5 m tall, 1–2 cm in diam. Leaf sheaths glabrous, basal sheaths strongly compressed; leaf blades ca. 100 × 0.7–1.5 cm, scabrid, gradually narrowed to the thick white midrib toward base, acuminate; ligule ca. 1 mm, ciliate. Compound panicle up to 1 m with many drooping branches, branches bearing several spathes, each spathe subtending a further spathe and usually a single spatheole with raceme; spatheoles 2–3.5 cm, minutely hispidulous; peduncle pilose at apex. Raceme composed of (1–)2 spikelet pairs and a terminal triad above the involucre of 2 homogamous pairs. Homogamous spikelets arising at slightly different levels, male or barren, 10–15 mm, narrowly lanceolate, wingless, shortly pubescent. Sessile spikelet 7–8 mm; callus 1–2 mm, acute; lower glume oblong-lanceolate, dorsally compressed with shallow central groove, densely brown strigose; upper lemma lanceolate, midvein produced into mucro or poorly developed short awn. Pedicelled spikelet 10–15 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Jan.

Nepal, S.E. Asia, China.

Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bangladesh, Bhutan, NE India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka (introduced), Thailand].

1200-2000 m

Hill slopes, forest margins, disturbed moist grassy places; 300–2500 m.

Anthistiria villosa Poiret, Encycl. Suppl. 1: 396. 1812 ["1810"]; A. gigantea Cavanilles subsp. villosa (Poiret) J. D. Hooker; A. mutica Steudel; Pseudanthistiria emeinica S. L. Chen & T. D. Zhuang; Themeda gigantea (Cavanilles) Hackel subsp. villosa (Poiret) Hackel; T. gigantea var. villosa (Poiret) Hackel.