Melica radula Franch.

The spikelets are much like those of Melica scabrosa, but the habit is more slender, with narrower leaf blades, pubescent on the adaxial surface, and a scanty panicle with markedly fewer spikelets.

Perennial, tufted. Culms 30–45 cm tall, 1–2 mm in diam. Leaf sheaths smooth or scabrid; leaf blades usually rolled, 5–12 cm × 0.8–2 mm (flattened), abaxial surface scabrid at least toward apex, adaxial surface shortly but densely pubescent; ligule ca. 0.5 mm. Panicle linear in outline, 6–15 cm; branches few, single, mostly erect, unbranched, laxly bearing 3–6 spikelets. Spikelets ovate, 5–8 mm, whitish green, fertile florets (1–)2(–3), terminal sterile lemmas gathered into globular cluster; glumes keeled, narrowly oblong-lanceolate in side view, subequal, 4–7 mm, slightly shorter than florets, lower glume 1–3-veined, upper glume 3–5-veined, keel scaberulous, both subacute; lemmas lanceolate-oblong, lowest 4.5–7 mm, herbaceous with narrowly membranous upper margins and apex, 7-veined with additional intermediate veins in lower half, coarsely tubercular-scabrid, apex obtuse; palea 2/3 lemma length, keels ciliolate. Anthers 1–2 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.

Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, W Sichuan, NW Yunnan (Dêqên).

* Mountain slopes, stream banks, field margins; 300–2100 m.

Melica scabrosa Trinius var. radula (Franchet) Papp; M. sinica Ohwi.