Cymbopogon Spreng., Pl. Min. Cogn. Pug. 2: 14. 1815; Blatter & McCann, Bombay Grasses 100. 1935; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 121. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 198. 1989; Chen & Phillips, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 624; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org

Perennials, rarely annuals, densely tufted. Stem solid. Leaves generally aromatic with a lemon scent when crushed; leaf blades filiform to broadly linear; ligule ciliolate membranous. Inflorescence a large, compound, dense, contracted panicle, spatheate; each ultimate spatheole subtending a pair of few-jointed short racemes; spatheole boat-shaped; each raceme borne on a short flattened base, often deflexed at maturity. Spikelets paired at each node of raceme; the basal pair of lower raceme or both racemes homologous, staminate, awnless; other pairs of spikelets heterogeneous: one sessile, bisexual other pedicelled, staminate; spikelets more or less similar in size. Spikelets of basal pair and upper pedicelled ones similar.

Sessile Spikelets: Bisexual, lanceolate, dorsally compressed, awned, 2-flowered. Glumes equal or subequal, coriaceous; lower Glumes flat, slightly depressed or narrowly grooved on the back, 2-keeled; upper glume boat-shaped, keeled upwards, 1-3-nerved. Lower floret reduced; its lemma (lower lemma) hyaline, 2-nerved, ciliate. Palea absent. Upper floret hermaphrodite; its lemma (upper lemma) hyaline, narrow, deeply lobed, shortly awned from sinus. Palea (upper palea) minute or absent. Lodicules 2. Stamens 3; anthers large. Stigmas 2, plumose.

Pedicelled Spikelets: Staminate or barren and awnless. Similar to sessile spikelets but lower glume rounded, herbaceous. Pedicels free. Lower floret reduced; its lemma (lower lemma) hyaline, 2-nerved, 2-keeled above, muticous. Upper floret naked and staminate; its lemma and palea absent. Stamens 3.

Basal homogamous spikelets similar to pedicelled spikelets.

53 species

Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle, Cat. Afr. Pl. 2: 155. 1899; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 130. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 205. 1989; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 628; Andropogon nardus L., Sp. Pl. 1: 1046. 1753; A. confertiflorus Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 399. 1854; Cymbopogon confertiflorus (Steud.) Stapf, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 318. 1906.

Perennial. Culms tufted, erect, robust, 1.2-2 m tall. Leaves mainly basal; leaf blades linear- lanceolate, flat, 40-120 cm x ca. 1.5 cm, light or dark green or dark brown when dry, drooping for 1/3 of their length, midrib prominent, glabrous, margin and abaxial surface scabrid, base narrow, apex long acuminate; leaf sheath shorter than internodes, reddish purple at base, smooth, glabrous; ligule 2-4 mm, membranous, scarious. Inflorescence a large decompound, dense, contracted, interrupted panicle, spatheate, 35-90 cm long; each ultimate spatheole subtending a pair of few-jointed short, 1.5-2 cm long racemes, lower raceme sessile and short, upper subsessile and longer; each raceme borne on a short thickened base, often deflexed at maturity. Spatheoles reddish brown or green, boat-shaped. Spikelets borne in pairs at each node, basalmost pair on the lower sessile raceme homogamous and staminate, rest all pairs heterotromorphic: one sessile, hermaphrodite and other pedicelled, staminate. Rachis internodes and pedicels ciliate.

SESSILE SPIKELETS: 5-6 mm long, oblong-lanceolate, tinged purple, awned, 2-flowered. Lower glume as long as the spikelet, lanceolate, flat or slightly concave, reddish brown or purplish upwards, sharply 2-keeled, keels narrowly winged, with 1-3 intracranial nerves, obscurely 1-3-nerved between keels; upper glume smaller than lower glume, lanceolate, acute, keeled, 3-nerved. Lower floret reduced; its lemma (lower lemma) hyaline, 2-nerved, ciliate; palea (lower palea) absent. Upper floret hermaphrodite; its lemma (upper lemma) ca. 2 mm long, hyaline, narrow, linear, 2-fid, ciliate, awned from sinus, up to 1.4 cm long; palea (upper palea) minute or absent. Lodicules 2. Stamens 3; anthers oblong, 2.5-3 mm long. Stigmas 2, plumose.

PEDICELLED SPIKELETS: Slightly shorter than sessile spikelet, ca. 5 mm long, oblong-lanceolate, staminate. Pedicel nearly as long as spikelet. Pedicelled spikelets similar to sessile spikelets but lower glume rounded, herbaceous, oblong-lanceolate, 2-keeled, keels serrulate, 7-9-nerved. Lower floret reduced; its lemma (lower lemma) hyaline, 2-nerved, 2-keeled above, muticous. Upper floret naked. Lemma (upper lemma) and palea (upper palea) absent. Stamens 3.

Basal Homogamous Spikelets: Sessile, similar to pedicelled spikelets.

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