苞茅 bao mao

Andropogon newtonii Hackel, Bol. Soc. Brot. 3: 137. 1885; A. lecomtei Franchet; Hyparrhenia lecomtei (Franchet) Stapf.

Perennial. Culms tufted, erect or geniculate at base, 50–200 cm tall, glabrous or pilose just below nodes. Basal leaf sheaths tomentose or glabrous; leaf blades 20–60 × 0.2–0.6 cm, pilose on both surfaces or adaxial surface glabrous, margins scabrid; ligule reddish brown, truncate, 0.5–2 mm. Spathate panicle narrow, 30–40 cm; spatheoles narrowly lanceolate, 2–4 cm, reddish brown; peduncle slightly shorter than spatheole, setose with yellow or creamy hairs. Racemes 2–4-awned per pair, purple, reflexed at maturity; raceme bases unequal, stiffly setose, upper 1.5–3 mm, prolonged into a 1–3 mm, lanceolate, purple appendage below the lowest spikelet pair; 1 pair of homogamous spikelets at base of lower raceme only. Sessile spikelet 4–6 mm, purplish; callus 1.5–2 mm, acute to pungent, bearded; lower glume narrowly oblong, glabrous; awn 2–4 cm, column with short brown hairs. Pedicelled spikelet 5–10 mm, tipped with a 1–5 mm bristle.

Hill slopes; 600–1200 m. Guangdong, Guangxi [Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam; Africa, Madagascar].

This species has a distinctively colored panicle, with purple spikelets and yellowish hairs. Asian material identified as Hyparrhenia brac-teata (Willdenow) Stapf belongs here. True H. bracteata is restricted to Africa.