糖蜜草 tang mi cao

Muhlenbergia brasiliensis Steudel; Panicum melinis Trinius, nom illeg. superfl.; P. minutiflorum (P. Beauvois) Raspail; Suardia picta Schrank; Tristegis glutinosa Nees.

Perennial. Culms tufted, geniculately ascending, rooting at lower nodes, 50–150 cm tall. Leaf sheaths and blades densely tomentose with glandular hairs, slightly sticky with a strong smell; leaf blades linear, 5–20 × 0.5–1.5 cm. Panicle purplish, narrowly ovate, 10–20 cm; pedicels glabrous, scaberulous, rarely with a few hairs toward the apex. Spikelets narrowly ovate-oblong, 1.7–2.2 mm; lower glume ovate, 0.1–0.4 mm, veinless; upper glume prominently 7-veined, obtusely 2-lobed, awnless or with a mucro to 1 mm from the sinus; lower floret neuter without a palea, lemma similar to upper glume but narrower, prominently 5-veined, acutely 2-lobed, awnless or with a slender awn to 15 mm from the sinus; upper floret whitish, thinly cartilaginous, smooth, shining, slightly shorter than lower lemma. Fl. and fr. Jul–Oct. 2n = 36.

Introduced into S China as a fodder grass, locally naturalized. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Yunnan [native to Africa].

This species has been introduced into many tropical countries for fodder (Molasses Grass).