Microsoft Word - 07. S2_Muhlenbergia faciculata_Edited_11.6.2011


Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 18(1): 69-71, 2011 (June) - Short communication 
© 2011 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists 
 

MUHLENBERGIA FASCICULATA T.P.I. PHAN (POACEAE) - A NEW 
ANGIOSPERMIC RECORD FOR INDIA 

 
D. DELMAIL1 AND A. HILAIRE 

 

Laboratory of Botany and Cryptogamy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Limoges,  
GRESE EA 4330, 2 rue du Docteur Marcland, FR-87025 Limoges, France 

 

Keywords: Mulhenbergia fasciculata; New record; India. 
 
 Muhlenbergia Schreb. (Poaceae) is related to the genera Sporobolus R. Br. and 
Blepharoneuron Nash. The genus contains approximately 160 species (Herrera-Arrieta, 
1998), and the majority of them are xeromorphic and caespitose, and inhabit steppes and 
mountains from subarctic North America to southern South America (Pohl, 1969) as well 
as southeast Asia (Zhenlan and Peterson, 2006). The species M. fasciculata was firstly 
described in 1994 in Myanmar and then was thought to be extinct due to habitat loss 
(Phan, 1994). However, one population was discovered in 2004 and 52 individuals have 
been confirmed in Arakan hills of western Myanmar in the Rakhine region on rocky 
environments at altitudes from 1000 to 1300 m about the sea level (Delmail, 2010). 
 More recently, a survey in the Nagaland state (India) brings to the discovery of 3 new 
isolated specimens, from a rocky open grassland at about 25 km northwest of Longwa. 
This is the first record of occurrence for India at the frontier with Myanmar. 
 A detailed taxonomic description and illustration of the taxon have been provided 
based on the examined wild specimens. 
 
Muhlenbergia fasciculata T.P.I. Phan, Flora from the Gulf of Bengal 1: 158 (1994).     

(Fig. 1)      
 Caespitose perennial, rhizomatous. Culms 45-56 cm, erect or spreading. Leaf sheaths 
2.1-3.0 cm long, glabrous, striate, often longer than the internodes, without hyaline 
margins; nodes densely puberulent. Ligules 0.4-0.6 mm long, membranous, hyaline, 
fimbriate, apex obtuse. Basal blades 7-13 cm long, 1.9-2.1 mm wide, flat, margins and 
midveins sclerosed, scabrous. Panicles 6-9 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, diffuse, pyramidal; 
primary branches 3-4 cm long, straight, capillary, diverging 73-95° from the rachis; 
pedicels 2.4-7.5 mm long, scabrous; inflorescence branches 1-3 cm long. Spikelets 2-3.1 
mm long, erect; glumes 0.8-1.6 mm long, acute, entire, sometimes longer than the lemma, 
usually equal in length, one-nerved, glabrous, yellowish; lemmas 1.5-2.4 mm long, 
lanceolate, hyaline, awned, glabrous; palea 1.2-1.8 mm long, oblanceolate, entire, 
glabrous; lodicules 2, hyaline; Anthers 3, yellowish to orange, 0.4-0.8 mm long; ovary 
glabrous; styles free to their bases. Caryopsis not observed. 
 

1Corresponding author. E-mail: david.delmail@wanadoo.fr 



70 DELMAIL AND HILAIRE 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fig. 1. Mulhenbergia fasciculata T.P.I. Phan. A. inflorescence, B. habit, C. ligule, D. lodicules, stamens and 

pistil, E. spikelet. 

 



MUHLENBERGIA FASCICULATA T.P.I. PHAN (POACEAE) 71 

 Specimen examined: India, Nagaland state, Mon district, about 25 km northwest of 
Longwa, 28°7΄56΄΄ N, 97°0΄10΄΄ E, 850-900 m, 10.06.2006, Shott W., Delmail D. and 
Hilaire A. (no specimen was collected due to the low number of individuals (3) in the 
population and its weak occurrence in the wild). 
 Ecology: On open grasslands (Phan, 1994) and rocky open grasslands. In these 
environments, many plant species occur. Among them, typical Poaceae are observed as 
Cymbopogon citratus, Cymbopogon martinii and Neyraudia reynaudiana. Shrubs are 
constituted with Rhododendron cerasinum, Rhododendron pruniflorum and 
Rhododendron repens. Other species as Allium sp., Arenaria sp., Cremanthodium farreri, 
Meconopsis sp., Omphalogramma burmanica and Primula sp. form cushions. 
 Distribution: Initially native to Myanmar but now found in India. 
 
Acknowledgements 
 This work has been supported by the National Botanical Conservatory of Brest 
(CBNB) and the Conseil Régional du Limousin. Authors thank J.-Y. Lesouëf (CBNB) 
and Wu Shott for valuable discussions and support during fieldwork. 
 
References 
Delmail, D. 2010. Validation of Muhlenbergia fasciculata (Poaceae) endemic to Myanmar. Nord. J. Bot. 28: 

298. 
Herrera-Arrieta, Y. 1998. A revision of the Muhlenbergia montana (Nutt.) Hitchc. complex (Poaceae: 

Chloridoideae). Brittonia 50: 23-50. 
Phan, T.P.I. 1994. Flora from the Gulf of Bengal. XUKJ Press, Khaoni, pp. 1-387. 
Pohl, R.W. 1969. Muhlenbergia subgenus Muhlenbergia (Gramineae) in North America. Am. Midl. Nat. 82: 

512-542. 
Zhenlan, W. and Peterson, P.M. 2006. Muhlenbergia. Flora of China 22: 486-487. 
 
 
 

(Manuscript received on 8 December 2010; revised on 2 June 2011)