Imperata flavida S. M. Phillips & S. L. Chen

This species, which appears to be confined to Hainan, can be readily distinguished from the more common Imperata cylindrica by its much shorter spikelet hairs and yellow-brown (vs. purple-black) stigmas.

Perennial, basal sheaths becoming fibrous; rhizomes spreading, internodes very short. Culms solitary or tufted, 70–125 cm tall, 3–7 mm in diam., 3- or more-noded, nodes glabrous. Leaf sheaths longer than internodes, crowded below, glabrous except for silky hairs at mouth; leaf blades flat, 20–60 × 0.5–1 cm, culm blades 1–7 cm, glabrous or adaxial surface puberulous, margins smooth, base narrowed to midrib, apex long acuminate; ligule 0.5–1 mm. Panicle cylindrical, silky hairy, 12–17 cm, branches short, erect or ascending, discrete below. Spikelets 3–4 mm; callus hairs ca. 4 mm, equal to spikelet; glumes 4–5(–7)-veined, back pilose in lower 1/3 with silky hairs about as long as spikelet, upper margins ciliate, apex obtuse or erose; lower lemma broadly oblong, ca. 1/2 length of glumes, ciliate, irregularly denticulate; upper lemma oblong, 1/3 length of glumes, 2–3-denticulate, ciliate, palea similar to lemma. Anthers 2, 2.5–2.8 mm. Stigmas yellowish brown. Fl. and fr. summer to autumn.

* Mixed forests, along rivers, valleys. Hainan.