浮藎屬

Annuals; culms creeping and rooting at nodes; sheaths hairy, shorter than the internode; ligule short, ciliated. Blade ovate, amplexicaudal. Inflorescence an ovate outlined panicle. Spikelets small, ovate, 1-flowered, bisexual, easily articulating from the joint of the pedicel and falling off entirely, or the glumes deciduous; glumes translucently membranous, usually falling off easily, glabrous; lower glume shorter, nerveless; upper glume slightly shorter than the spikelet, 1-nerved; lemma and palea thinly membranous; lemma broadly ovate, 1-nerved, dorsally pubescent; palea as long as the lemma; stamens 3. Caryopsis ovate-orbicular, free from the lemma and the palea.

Only one aquatic dwarf species S. malaccense is distributed in India to South China and Taiwan, also in Malay Penninsula.

Lower Taxon

• Sphaerocaryum malaccense (Trin.) Pilger