Eccoilopus Steud.
Sometimes referred to Spodiopogon
Habit, vegetative morphology. Rather tall perennial; caespitose. Leaf blades cordate (often), or not cordate, not sagittate; pseudopetiolate (often), or not pseudopetiolate; an unfringed membrane.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets. The spikelets all alike in sexuality; homomorphic.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence of spicate main branches, or paniculate (the pedunculate ‘racemes’ often whorled, sometimes basally branched); not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes ‘racemes’, or paniculate; with very slender rachides; persistent (despite being jointed). ‘Articles’ not appendaged. Spikelets paired; pedicellate; consistently in ‘long-and-short’ combinations; unequally pedicellate in each combination. Pedicels of the ‘pedicellate’ spikelets free of the rachis. The ‘shorter’ spikelets hermaphrodite. The ‘longer’ spikelets hermaphrodite.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 4–6 mm long; not noticeably compressed (terete); falling with the glumes (from the pedicels). Rachilla terminated by a female-fertile floret. Hairy callus present (as a tuft of short hairs). Callus short.
Glumes two; more or less equal; long relative to the adjacent lemmas; without conspicuous tufts or rows of hairs; awnless; very dissimilar (the lower chartaceous, pallid, convex with raised nerves,the upper cymbiform). Lower glume not two-keeled; convex on the back; not pitted; relatively smooth; prominently 7 nerved, or 9 nerved (ridged). Upper glume 7 nerved. Spikelets with incomplete florets. The incomplete florets proximal to the female-fertile florets. Spikelets with proximal incomplete florets. The proximal incomplete florets 1; paleate, or epaleate; sterile. The proximal lemmas awnless; 1 nerved; more or less equalling the female-fertile lemmas; similar in texture to the female-fertile lemmas (hyaline).
Female-fertile florets 1. Lemmas less firm than the glumes (hyaline); not becoming indurated; incised; 2 lobed; deeply cleft; awned, or mucronate (in that the awn may be ‘imperfect’). Awns when present, 1; from a sinus; geniculate. Lemmas without a germination flap. Palea present; conspicuous but relatively short; nerveless (hyaline). Ovary glabrous; without a conspicuous apical appendage. Stigmas 2.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit small (2 mm long); not noticeably compressed (cylindrical). Hilum short. Embryo large.
Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. C4.
Cytology. 2n = 40.
Taxonomy. Panicoideae; Andropogonodae; Andropogoneae; Andropogoninae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 4 species; Asia.
Holarctic and Paleotropical. Boreal. Indomalesian. Eastern Asian. Indian and Indo-Chinese.
Rusts and smuts. Rusts — Puccinia. Taxonomically wide-ranging species: Puccinia miyoshiana.
Special comments. Anatomical data wanting.
Cite this publication as: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). ‘Grass Genera of the World: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval; including Synonyms, Morphology, Anatomy, Physiology, Phytochemistry, Cytology, Classification, Pathogens, World and Local Distribution, and References.’ http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/. Version: 18th August 1999. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1998), and Watson and Dallwitz (1994), and Watson, Dallwitz, and Johnston (1986) should also be cited (see References).