Gymbopogon GRAMINEAE Coix 



VIII; fr. IX. Eastern Asia; locally in An., Che., Ki., Ku. Grassy slopes. Fig. 

 455. 



" Gymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle, Citronella Grass, is far more robust, the spikelets always 

 or nearly always abortive. Those trying to grow oilgrasses in Puerto Rico and elsewhere say it never 

 sets seed. It is planted from dividing the clumps. Hitchcock 18498, 18500, Purple Mountain; 

 Steward 2573, Tso 1622, 2279, Kiangsu, R.C. Ching 4645, Kweichow; Chiao 1967, Griff ing and 

 Steward 998, some originally named " C. nardus" are not nardus, the oilgrass. Mdle. Camus 

 later referred C. hamatulus to C. tortilis (Presl) A. Camus. Hackel (p. 606) refers both to 

 A. (andropogon) nardus var. h. hamatulus. The valid name as a species is C. tortilis (Presl) 

 A. Camus."— Agnes Chase. 



89. Heteropogon Pers. M^M (Huang Mao Shu) 

 Perennials (ours) with solitary spikelike racemes: spikelets binate; the lower 

 3-10 pairs homogamous, imbricate and long-persistent along the glabrous tenacious 

 rachis; the remaining pairs heterogamous ; one sessile, pistillate or perfect, terete, 

 long-awned, obliquely disarticulating with pungent rufous-bearded callus; the other 

 pedicelled, staminate or neuter, flat, awnless. 8 species, in tropical and subtropical 

 zones; 2 in China. (Greek: heteros, different, and pogon, beard, alluding to the diffe- 

 rences between the awnless staminate and awned pistillate spikelets.) 



1. Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv. M% (Huang Mao; Yellow Grass) (Hitch. 779). 

 Culms 45-90cm. high; fls. and fr. VI-X. Warm regions; locally in Che. Grassy 

 slopes and rocky hills. Fig. 456. 



90. Themeda Forsk. f M (Chien Shu) 

 Perennials with spatheate infl. of solitary racemes: spikelets binate, or the terminal 

 joint ternate; the lowermost two pairs homogamous, closely approximate; the remaining 

 1-3 pairs heterogamous; one sessile and perfect, terete, usually awned, obliquely 

 disarticulating with pungent rufous-bearded callus; the other pedicelled, staminate or 

 neuter, awnless. About 20 species, mostly in tropical and subtropical parts of the 

 Old World; 6 in China. (Named from Thaemed, an Arabic name of the plant.) 



1. Themeda triandra Forsk. f (Chien; Grass Stalk) (L.S.J. 7: 251). Culms 30-150 

 cm. high; fls. and fr. VI-X. Tropical and temperate parts of the Old World; 

 locally in An., Che., Ki., Ku. Grassy hills. Fig. 457. 



Tribe XIV. Maydeae HMMtk (Yii Shu Ch'u Ts'u) 

 Spikelets resembling those of Andropogoneae in structure and arrangement, but 

 all unisexual: glumes thick or membraanceous; lemma and palea hyaline, awnless: 

 rather tall monoecious plants; the staminate and pistillate spikelets very dissimilar, 

 either on different parts of the same infl. or in separate infls. 



Key to the Genera 

 Staminate spikelets in the upper, pistillate in the lower part of the same 



spikelike racemes 91 . Coix 



Staminate and pistillate spikelets in separate infls. ; the staminate in a terminal 



panicle or tassel; the pistillate in axillary sheathed spikes or ears 92. Zea 



91. Coix Linn. MMM (I l Shu) 

 Coarse stout monoecious annuals with infl. of staminate spikes protruding from 



486 



