Hymenachne aurita (J. Presl ex Nees) Balansa, J. Bot.

Hymenachne aurita (J. Presl ex Nees) Balansa, J. Bot. View in CoL (Morot) 4: 144. 1890. Panicum auritum J. Presl ex Nees, Fl. Bras. Enum. Pl. View in CoL 2(1): 176. 1829. Figs. 3, 5f & g View Fig

Perennial herbs. Culms up to 1.5 m, ascending, basally geniculate, branched or unbranched, glabrous, rooting from basal nodes. Leaf blades linear, 11–35 × 0.7–1.7 cm, base sub-cordate, margins entire, eciliate, apex acuminate, both surfaces glabrous but with few long cilia at base; sheaths’ margin eciliate or ciliate on one side especially at upper half and throat,glabrous; ligule c. 0.5mm,membranous, shortly ciliate.Inflorescence a panicle, contracted, dense, 26–41 cm; branches sub-erect or erect, borne singly, the lowest up to 14 cm, minutely hispid in lines. Spikelets borne singly, oblong-lanceolate, symmetrical, 2–3 mm, purplish-green; florets 2. Pedicels up to 1.5 mm. Lower glume ovate, 1–1.2 mm, keeled, 3-nerved, margins hyaline, apex acute or obtuse, herbaceous, minutely hispid on keel. Upper glume lanceolate, c. 2.5 mm, keeled, 5-nerved, margins hyaline, apex acute, herbaceous, minutely hispid on keel. Lower floret sterile; lemma lanceolate, c. 2.5 mm, not keeled, 5-nerved, margins hyaline, apex acute, herbaceous, glabrous or sparsely pubescent at apex; palea poorly developed, oblong-lanceolate, c. 1 mm, hyaline. Upper floret bisexual; lemma lanceolate, c. 2 mm, not keeled, apex acuminate, thinly coriaceous, shiny, glabrous or sparsely pubescent at apex, creamy; palea oblong-lanceolate, c. 2 mm, not keeled, apex obtuse, thinly coriaceous, shiny, glabrous, creamy.

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

Habitat: Moist and damp places in the forest.

Distribution: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam ( Chen et al., 2006a; POWO, 2023) and now in Nepal.

Specimens examined: NEPAL, Koshi province, Jhapa district, Haldibari rural municipality, Chauki

Biran community forest, N 26.51°, E 88.02°, 79 m, 04.11.2020, Y. B GoogleMaps . Poudel JF519 ( KATH); Chauki Biran community forest, N 26.49°, E 88.01°, 95 m, 09.07.2022, Y. B GoogleMaps . Poudel, B. Adhikari, L.N. Sharma & G. Parmar YBLG02 ( KATH); Pathibhara Kalika community forest, N 26.50°, E 88.02°, 94 m, 24.01.2020, Y. B GoogleMaps . Poudel JF215 ( KATH) .