Rheedea Vol. 24(1) 56-59 2014 Chrysopogon festucoides (Poaceae): A new record for South India Thoiba Kottekkattu and A.K. Pradeep* Department of Botany, University of Calicut, Kerala 673 635, India. *Email: akpradeep1@rediffmail.com Abstract Chrysopogon festucoides (Presl) Veldk. is reported from Kerala in South India. A detailed description, illustration and photographs of the taxon are provided for easy identification. Keywords: Chrysopogon festucoides, Poaceae, new record, South India Introduction The genus Chrysopogon Trin. with about 45 species is mostly distributed in the Old World tropics, with one species each in Cuba and Florida, 11 species in Thailand and 13 species in Malesia (Veldkamp, 1999). In India, the genus (including Vetiveria Bory) is known to have 16 species. Among them, C. zizanioides (L.) Nash and C. lawsonii (Hook.f.) Veldk. from India were previously treated either under the genus Andropogon L. or Vetiveria Bory ( Hooker, 1896; Bor, 1960 ) as they share many features in common. The authors, during their loristic investigations in the wetlands of Kerala, located populations of this tussock forming grass in a small area along the wet ields near Kooriyad in Malappuram district of Kerala. The plant resembled Vetiver of commerce, Chrysopogon zizanioides, but its roots are odourless. The specimens were studied and determined as Chrysopogon festucoides (Presl) Veldk. The plant was not treated as occurring in India. However, Veldkamp (1999) while revising the genus Chrysopogon in Thailand and Malesia opined that a collection by Jenkins from Upper Assam available at Kew (K) belongs to this species. Since this taxon has not been treated in any of the Indian Floras, it is described here with photographs and illustration to facilitate easy identiication. Chrysopogon festucoides (Presl) Veldk., Austrobaileya 5: 512. 1999. Andropogon festucoides Presl, Rel. Haenk. 1:340. 1830. Vetiveria festucoides (Presl) Ohwi, Bull. Tokyo Sc. Mus. 18:4. 1947. Fig. 1, 2. Tufted perennials. Culms 1–1.75 m tall. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf blades conduplicate, 15–68 × 0.8–1 cm, linear-lanceolate, glabrous above, pilose beneath. Panicle 16–24 × 4–5.5 cm in outline, with many purplish branches; primary panicle branches whorled, with longest branch simple, 6–7.5 cm long. Raceme peduncle 0.8–1.2 cm long, scaberulous, with 7–13 spikelet groups per branch. Rachis iliform, 4–5 mm long, spikelets laterally compressed, 4–4.7 cm long. Fertile spikelets sessile. Sterile spikelets pedicelled. Sessile spikelets 4.2–4.5 mm long, linear, comprising 1 sterile basal loret, 1 fertile loret without rachilla extension, spikelet callus almost rounded, c. 0.3 mm across, sparsely hairy, hairs up to 0.4 mm long. Glumes dissimilar,lower glume lanceolate, coriaceous, 2.5– 2.9 × 0.8–1 mm, 5–6-nerved, spinulose, aculeate prominently on the nerves, acute at apex. Upper glume lanceolate, chartaceous, 1-keeled, faintly 3–5-nerved, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1 mm, aculeate especially on the midrib, midrib distally setulose without a dorsal fringe of hairs, apex mucronate, mucro 0.4 mm long. Basal sterile loret barren. First lemma 3-lobed, midlobe much shorter than the laterals, margins entire or coarsely denticulate. Second lemma oblong, shortly notched, awned, awns exserted, straight, 2.5–3 cm long, glabrous. Stamens 3; anthers lemon yellow, 1.3–1.5 mm long, 0.3 mm wide; ilaments hyaline, 0.25 mm long, glabrous. Pedicelled spikelets 5 mm long, comprising empty lemmas. Pedicel 3.1 mm long, scabrid. Lower glume coriaceaous, scaberulous, shortly aculeate on the nerves, muticous. Anthers 1.3–1.5 mm long. Ovary ellipsoid, 0.4–0.6 mm long; style forked, 0.5 mm long, hyaline; stigma plumose, deep pink, 1–1.3 mm long. K. Thoiba and A.K. Pradeep 57 Fig. 1. Chrysopogon festucoides (Presl) Veldk. in its natural habitat Flowering & Fruiting: July–October. Notes: C. festucoides difers from the cultivated C. zizanioides in having odourless roots, sessile spikelets upper glume apex mucronate (mucro 0.4 mm long), second lemma awned (awns exerted, 2.5–3 cm long) as opposed to aromatic roots, sessile spikelets upper glume apex muticous and second lemma muticous or briely awned (awns 0–1.9 mm long, enclosed) in C.zizanioides. Distribution & habitat: C. festucoides is known from Burma, Thailand, S. Laos, Vietnam, Malesia and Philippines. Veldkamp (1999) has shown a specimen (annotated as C. zizanoides) collected by Jenkins in Herbarium Hooker (K) from Assam, India belongs to this species. The present collection from the uncultivated, a mainly lowland of Kerala shows its extended distribution in the southernmost state of India. Specimen examined: INDIA, Kerala, Malappuram Dt, Thalappara, Kooriyad wetlands, 16.07.2012, Pradeep 121350; Ibid., 08.02.2013, Thoiba K. 138038 (CALI). Tamil Nadu, Salem District, Hosur, September 1954, Rajasekhara M. s.n., Ramanathapuram Dt. Sathirakudi, ± 30 m. elevation, 16 January 1989, Balasubramaniam 2114 (MH!). Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to Dr. C.N. Sunil, SNM College, Maliankara for critical comments on our specimen; Mr. Vivek, C.P., Botanical Survey of India, Coimbatore and Mr. Alfred Joe Calicut University for various help. Literature cited Bor, N.L. 1960. The Grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan (excluding Bambuseae). Pergamon Press, London. 58 Chrysopogon festucoides: A new record for South India Fig. 2. Chrysopogon festucoides (Presl) Veldk.: a. Habit; b. Spikelet; c–f. Sessile spikelet: c. lower glume; d. upper glume; e. lemma 1; f. lemma 2; g–j. Pedicelled spikelet: g. lower glume; h. upper glume; i. lemma 1; j. lemma 2. K. Thoiba and A.K. Pradeep 59 Hooker, J.D. 1896. Flora of British India, Vol. 7. L. Reeve & Co., London. Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin. including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5: 503–533. Received: 12.01.2014 Revised and Accepted: 09.06.2014