龚氏金茅 gong shi jin mao

Andropogon leschenaultianus Decaisne, Nouv. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 3: 357. 1834; A. aureofulvus Steudel; Eulalia cumin-gii (Nees) A. Camus; Pollinia cumingii Nees.

Perennial, forming tufts on long trailing stolons; basal sheaths glabrous. Culms very slender, 0.3–0.7 m tall, ca. 1 mm in diam., usually pilose below inflorescence, lower nodes bearded. Leaf sheaths ciliate along margin, bearded at mouth; leaf blades linear-lanceolate, 4–10 × 0.2–0.4 cm, glabrous or thinly hispid with tubercle-based hairs, apex acute; ligule ca. 0.5 mm, ciliolate. Racemes 1–3, solitary or digitate, 3–8 cm, hairs golden brown; rachis internodes and pedicels ca. 2/3 spikelet length, ciliate. Sessile spikelet 3–4 mm, golden brown; callus hairs 1/4 spikelet length; lower glume narrowly oblong, ± leathery, back flat, densely villous except below apex, obscurely 1–2-veined between keels, connected by veinlets below apex, apex broadly truncate, densely ciliolate; lower lemma absent; upper lemma oblanceolate, 2-toothed in upper 1/4, teeth ciliate; awn 8–15 mm, column pubescent. Anthers 1.7–2 mm. Fl. and fr. autumn.

Dry exposed hillsides. Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Taiwan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].

This species is unusual in lacking a lower lemma. The purple stigmas are exserted at the apex of the spikelet, rather than laterally which is more usual, and are an obvious feature of the racemes.

A variant occurs in N India and Nepal with smaller spikelets (2.5–3 mm) and slightly swollen culm bases with white-hairy basal sheaths. This has been described as Pollinia cumingii Nees var. parviflora Hackel. It may occur in adjacent parts of China.