Garnotia stricta var. stricta

a. var. stricta View in CoL

Garnotia philippinensis Santos (1944) 94, t. 1. — Type: BS 42963 ( Ramos ) (holo US; K, PNH lost, UC).

Garnotia philippinensis Santos var. celebica Jansen , ined. — Voucher: Kjellberg 3024 (BO).

Plants perennial. Culms erect to erect and geniculate at base, simple to branched at base, (0.1–) 0.4–1 m long. Nodes glabrous to pilose. Sheath mouth glabrous to densely hairy. Ligule 0.2–0.5 mm long. Blades linear, flat to folded or involute, 8–30 cm by 3–16 mm, glabrous to pilose, base rounded to cuneate. Panicle 9–28 cm long, common axis longer than the lowest branches, branches fascicled, at maturity appressed, smooth to scaberulous. Spikelets 3.5–5.5 mm long, callus glabrous or puberulous, hairs 0–1.7 mm long. First glume 3.5–5.5 mm long, subequal to longer than the second glume, acute to aristate; second glume 3.5–5 mm long, apex acute to aristate, arista 0–3 mm long. Lemma awn absent. Anthers c. 1 mm long.

Distribution — Malesia: SW Celebes (Toraja), Kabaëna, New Guinea (Irian Jaya: Triton Bay; Papua New Guinea: Central Prov.), Pacific: Guam, Palau, Raiatea, Tahiti. Records for elsewhere in Asia are misidentifications.

Habitat — Grassy slopes, seepage area in savannah, 0– 1600 m altitude.

Collector’s notes — Perennial, culms geniculate, rooting. Leaves pale yellow. Panicle greenish yellow, often violet.

Uses — Attractive to horses.

Notes — A statistical analysis, except for the presence of a lemmatal awn and distribution, showed no significant differences between G. stricta var. acutigluma and G. stricta var. stricta .

Garnotia philippinensis View in CoL was included in G. stricta var. stricta View in CoL by Gould (1972: 551), who said “non G. philippinensis Stapf (1896) View in CoL ”. Although clearly a lapsus calami for Garnotiella philippinensis Stapf View in CoL = Asthenochloa tenera Buse View in CoL , Garnotia philippinensis Stapf ex Gould (1972) View in CoL 559 is a valid combination but a later homonym of Santos (1944).