Piptatherum hilariae Pazij

This species is close to Piptatherum gracile, but has an abruptly narrowed lemma apex, and the short apical hair tufts are distinctive. It is the only species of Piptatherum in China (except for the distinctive P. kuoi) with glabrous anthers (1 or 2 short hairs may be present, but never a dense tuft). In neighboring countries it occurs in the upper forest belt and in alpine thickets.

The name Piptatherum humile refers to small specimens with linear panicles.

A widespread but uncommon species in moist upland forests between 1300 and 3500 m.

Perennial, densely tufted. Culms 20–50 cm tall, 2–3-noded. Leaf sheaths glabrous, usually shorter than internodes; leaf blades gray-green or gray purple, usually rolled, rarely flat, up to 10(–30) cm, 2–4 mm wide, abaxial surface smooth or scaberulous, adaxial surface puberulous; ligule lanceolate, 3–6 mm. Panicle open or contracted, 5–12(–30) cm; branches 2 per node, spreading at anthesis, erect at maturity, longest less than 1/2 panicle length. Spikelets purplish red or gray-green; glumes lanceolate-ovate, 5–8 mm, apex sharply acuminate; callus glabrous; lemma elliptic to narrowly ovate, 3.5–4 mm, back pubescent with 0.2–0.3 mm hairs, midline glabrescent at maturity, apex usually shortly beaked, pale, glabrous, shortly 2-lobed above awn insertion, lobes rounded, each with tuft of hairs; awn caducous, 2–4 mm, often slightly bent at insertion. Anthers 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous at apex or almost so. Fl. and fr. Jun–Sep.

Densely tufted perennial; culms 10-50(-70) cm high. Leaf-blades flat or rolled, 5-30 cm long, 1.5-4.5 mm wide, minutely pilose or rarely almost glabrous on the upper surface, smooth or scaberulous beneath. Panicle lax or contracted, (3-) 7-30 cm long, the branches spreading at first, finally erect, the longest less than half the length of the panicle. Spikelets lanceolate, 4-8 mm long; lemma narrowly ovate or elliptic, 2.6-4.2 mm long, loosely covered on the back, but not at the tip, with hairs 0.2-0.3 mm long, the apex usually beaklike and the tip bilobed, the lobes rounded and each bearing a dense tuft of stiff hairs; awn 1.8-4 mm long, included or slightly exserted from the glumes, subterminal, usually with a sharp bend immediately above the horizontally inserted base, deciduous; anthers 1.5-2.75 mm long, their tips glabrous or with a few short hairs but never distinctly bearded.

Xizang (Lhozhag, Qusum) [E Afghanistan, NW India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Tajikistan (Pamirs)].

Distribution: Pakistan (Baluchistan, Punjab, N.W.F.P., Gilgit & Kashmir); eastern Afghanistan and the western Pamirs.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: May-August.

River banks, plateaus; 3100–4500 m.

Oryzopsis hilariae (Pazij) Uniyal; O. humilis Bor; O. wen-delboi Bor; Piptatherum humile (Bor) S. Kumar & M. B. Raizada.