居中菅 ju zhong jian

Themeda gigantea (Cavanilles) Hackel subsp. intermedia Hackel in A. Candolle & C. Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 6: 675. 1889.

Perennial. Culms tufted, stout, 1.5–5 m tall, 0.8–1.5 cm in diam. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades up to 100 × 0.6–1.5 cm, narrowed toward base, scabrid, acuminate; ligule ca. 1 mm. Compound panicle large with many drooping branches, each branch bearing several spathes subtending 1–3 spatheoles; spatheoles 2–3 cm, glabrous; peduncle villous at apex. Raceme composed of 0–2 spikelet pairs and a terminal triad above the involucre of 2 homogamous pairs. Homogamous spikelets arising at slightly different levels, male or barren, 11–14 mm, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, hirsute with long, golden or pallid tubercle-based hairs, acuminate. Sessile spikelet ca. 7 mm; callus 1.5–2 mm, narrowly cuneate; lower glume oblong-lanceolate, dorsally compressed, densely strigose with brown hairs; upper lemma lanceolate, awn absent or less than 1 cm. Pedicelled spikelet 10.5–14 mm.

Light forest shade; ca. 700 m. SW Yunnan (Gengma) [Bhutan, N India, Myanmar].

This is probably just an awnless, small-spiculate form from the Themeda arundinacea gene pool or a product of introgression from T. villosa.