Arundinella setosa Trin., Gram. Panic.

Arundinella setosa Trin., Gram. Panic. View in CoL 63. 1826 var. setosa ; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceylon, India & Pakistan 424. 1960; Karthik. et al., Fl. Ind. Enum. Monocot. 187. 1989; Veldkamp, Blum. 59: 174. 2015. Type: NEPAL, s.d., Lindley s.n. (LE). Fig. 2 View Fig

Perennials. Culms 40–50 cm long, tufted, caespitose; nodes glabrous; internodes 2.5–8 cm long, terete, glabrous. Leaf blades 10–15 × 0.2–0.5 cm, linear-lanceolate, apex acute, ventral surface scabrid, margins serrulate with few long hairs; ligules membranous with long hairs at apex and back, hairs up to 0.5 mm long, mouth bearded with up to 1 mm long hairs; leaf sheaths 2.5–4 cm long, margins with up to 2 mm long hairs. Peduncles 12–22 cm long. Inflorescence an effuse panicle, 8–12 cm long; racemes alternate; spikelets paired, similar, 4.8–5.2 × 0.5–1 mm long, lanceolate, awned; pedicels short and long, triquetrous, ridges scabrid; short pedicels 1.5–5 mm long; long pedicels 3–10 mm long. Lower glumes 3.8–5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, lanceolate, chartaceous, glabrous, apex attenuate or acuminate; 3-veined, mid vein keeled or sometimes one lateral vein also keeled, keels scabrid; margins entire, open. Upper glumes 4–5 × c. 1 mm, lanceolate, chartaceous, scabrid dorsally from upper middle to apex, apex acuminate with usually bifid tip; margins entire, open. Florets 2: lower male, upper bisexual. Lower lemma 3–3.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm, lanceolate, boat shaped, chartaceous, glabrous,

apex bifid; 3-veined, laterally compressed towards upper middle to apex, margins entire, open. Lower palea 2.8–3 × 0.4–0.5 mm, lanceolate, membranous to chartaceous, apex minutely fimbriate, 2-keeled,

keels minutely winged, scabrid; margins ciliolate from middle to apex, infolded. Stamens 3, anthers

1–1.2 × c. 0.2 mm, yellow, filaments 0.4–0.5 mm long. Upper lemma 1.9–2.1 × 0.4–0.5 mm, lanceolate, chartaceous to membranous, apex with

2 lateral setae; setae 1–2 mm long, scabrid; awned,

awn 4–5 mm long, geniculate; column 1–2 mm long, awn arises between two setae; margins entire,

open. Upper palea 2–2.2 × c. 0.3 mm, lanceolate,

boat shaped, chartaceous to membranous, dorsally scabrid; apex minutely bifid; 2-keeled; margins serrulate towards upper middle to apex, base flapped, infolded. Stamens 3, as above in lower florets. Ovary 0.2–0.3 × c. 0.1 mm, oblong; style 2

0.5–0.7 mm long; stigma 2, 0.8–1 mm long, plumose; lodicules 2, 2 mm long, membranous.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering and fruiting from August to February.

Habitat: The species was observed mostly in hilly areas along rocky slopes with some associated angiosperms, such as Schizostachyum andamanicum M.Kumar & Remesh. ( Poaceae ), Memecylon sp. ( Melastomataceae ), Grewia sp. ( Malvaceae ), and Phyllanthus andamanicus Balakr. & N.G.Nair ( Phyllanthaceae ).

Distribution: India, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andaman Island, Middle Andaman, Panchvati , N 12°34'20.55", E 92°57' 25.47", 14.11.2018, Reshma Lakra 86458 ( CAL, PBL). Andhra Pradesh, Kurnool district , 10.12.1963 GoogleMaps , J.L. Ellis 18057 ( CAL). Karnataka, Ramanagara district, Narayanadurga state forests, 19.12.1978 , K. R. Keshava Murty & K.P. Murthy 5081 ( CAL). Kerala, Kannur district, Kuthupuramba , 20.02.1978 , V.S. Ramachandran 5410 ( CAL). Meghalaya, Shillong, Naga Hills , Dec. 1907 , A. Meebold 7497 ( CAL). Odisha, Nigirdah , 18.02.1958 , G. Panigrahi 12572 ( CAL). Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, Manimuthar bridge falls, 26.06.1975 , K.M. Sebastine 3668 ( CAL) . BURMA, Maymyo plateau, 25.09.1911 . J.H. Lace 5428 ( CAL) .

Notes: Arundinella setosa closely resembles A. nervosa (Roxb.) Nees ex Hook. & Arn. in general appearance, but differs mainly by its perennial habit against the annual habit in A. nervosa . Fischer (1934) treated A. nervosa as a synonym of A. setosa in the Flora of the Presidency of Madras. However, some of the characteristic features of A. nervosa , such as up to 25 cm long panicles, acute to caudate upper glumes, up to 2 mm long setae of the upper lemma, and up to 4 mm long awn column distinguish it from A. setosa that has a panicle of up to 13 cm long, acuminate upper glume, up to 3 mm long setae of the upper lemma, and up to 4.3 mm long column. Thus, they were regarded as distinct species in recent publications (Kabeer & Nair, 2009; Potdar et al., 2012; Veldkamp, 2015).