弯叶画眉草 wan ye hua mei cao

Poa curvula Schrader, Gött. Gel. Anz. 3: 2073. 1821.

Perennial. Culms densely tufted, erect, 80–120 cm tall, 5–6-noded. Leaf sheaths scabrous with retrorse hairs at lower part, glabrous upward, shorter than internodes, long pilose along the summit; leaf blades elongate, involute, attenuate to a fine point, arcuate spreading, scabrous, (5–)10–40 cm × 1–2.5(–3) mm. Panicles open, 12–35 × 6–9 cm; branches solitary or in pairs, ascending, naked at base, at least the lower densely pilose in axils. Spikelets gray-green, (4–)6–11 × 1.5–2 mm, 5–16-flowered. Glumes lanceolate, apex acuminate, 1-veined, lower glume 1.2–1.5 mm, upper glume 1.8–2.5 mm. Lemmas broadly oblong, apex acute or obtuse, veins prominent, lower lemma 2–2.5 mm. Palea subequal to lemma, 2-keeled, persistent or tardily deciduous. Stamens 3; anthers ca. 1.2 mm. Caryopsis ellipsoid to obovoid, dorsally compressed, adaxial surface with a shallow, broad groove or ungrooved, smooth, mostly translucent, light brown, 1–1.7 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–Sep. 2n = 20, 42, 63, 80.

Commonly cultivated for ornament. Fujian, Guangxi, Hubei, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, Yunnan [native to Africa].

This species is used for fodder and as an ornamental grass.