Perennials; culms erect, single. Ligule hard, about 1 mm long. Inflorescence erect or pendent, racemes axillary, about 8 cm long, staminate spikelets terminal, pistillate spikelets basal, enclosed by a bead-like hard involucre. Spikelets unisexual, staminate spikelets in pairs, the one pedicelled, the other sessile, the sessile one about 6 mm long; lower glume coriaceous, oblong-ovate, 2-keeled, with short cilia on the keels, many-nerved, as long as the spikelet; upper glume membranous, ovate, many-nerved, with tessellate nerves near the tips, slightly smaller than the lower glume; all florets equal, hyaline, as long as the spikelet. Pistillate spikelets 3 together, one fertile and 2 sterile at the base; glumes of fertile spikelet many- nerved, hyaline below, lower very broad, infolding the spikelet, upper narrower than the lower, keeled; upper lemma and palea hyaline, 3-nerved; ovary with an elongated style. Caryopsis about 5 mm long.
TAIPEI: Taipei, Kao 4257; Wulai, Kuoh 1224. MIAOLI: Tsolan, Kao & Lin s. n. June 21, 1957. NANTOU: Puli, Kao 2829. PINGGTUNG: Pingtung, Hsu 531. TAITUNG: Chihpen, Sasaki s. n. Oct. 9, 1934.
A tall grass which is cultivated in many parts of the tropics. There are several varieties cultivated in Taiwan: Very recently it is being extensively cultivated for medicinal purposes and also for food.
midrib 中肋: (la)large:several vascular bundles
leaf surface 表面: (fla)flat surface
sclerenchyma 厚壁組織: (boscl)(bostr)on both sides of veins as strand or girder
chlorenchyma 葉綠組織: (radia)cells radiate and lesser than bundle sheath cell in width
bundle sheath 維管束鞘: (sk)single bundle sheath with conspicuous chloroplast
buliform cells well developed 泡狀細胞發達: mainly appear in adaxial side
with small vein under buliform cells泡狀細胞下有小脈: (fansh)bulliform set shell-shaped or fan -shaped
chlorenchyma cell number between two adjacent veins: 2
chloroplast form in bundle sheath 束鞘細胞內之葉綠體型式: (out)large amount and in centrifugal site
mestome sheath 內束鞘細胞: (Xyms -)metaxylem pole adjacent with outer bundle sheath
distance between two adjancent vein 脈間距: 105 micrometer
length/weidth ratio of bundle sheath in LS 束鞘細胞縱面長寬比: 2
chlorenchyma cell shape in LS 葉綠細胞縱面形狀: lobed
