Piptatherum gracile Mez

Piptatherum gracile is intermediate in morphology between Piptatherum laterale and Piptatherum hilariae. It differs from the former by its subapical awn and bibbed lemma tip, and from the latter by its narrower, beakless lemma and bearded anther tips.

Common on alpine meadows between 2300 and 4300 m.

Perennial, densely tufted. Culms 10–50 cm tall, 2–3-noded. Leaf sheaths glabrous or scaberulous, shorter than internodes; leaf blades gray-green, filiform, usually rolled, 6–20 cm, 1–2 mm wide, abaxial surface smooth or scaberulous, adaxial surface pubescent; ligule lanceolate, 2–7 mm. Panicle laxly contracted to linear, 6–20 cm; branches 2(–4) per node, erect or ascending, longest ca. 1/3 panicle length. Spikelets yellowish green, apex purplish; glumes lanceolate, 5–8 mm, apex sharply acuminate; callus glabrous; lemma narrowly lanceolate, 3–5 mm, densely pilose with 0.4–0.5 mm hairs, apex minutely 2-lobed above awn insertion; awn caducous, delicate, 3–7 mm, slightly bent at insertion. Anthers 1.7–2.5 mm, densely bearded at apex. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug.

Densely tufted perennial; culms 10-55(-70) cm high. Leaf-blades flat or rolled, 6-20 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, minutely pilose on the upper surface, glabrous beneath. Panicle usually contracted, 6-20 cm long, the branches erect or ascending, the longest about a third the length of the panicle. Spikelets lanceolate, 4.5-8.5 mm long; lemma narrowly lanceolate to almost linear, 3-4.5 (-5.5) mm long, densely covered with stiff white hairs 0.4-0.5(-O.7) mm long, these continued to the very tip where they conceal the 2 very short rounded apical lobes; awn 3-6 mm long, exserted from the glumes, subterminal, usually with a sharp upward bend immediately above the horizontally inserted base, deciduous; anthers 1.7-2.5 mm long, their tips densely bearded.

N.W. India, Nepal.

Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, NW India, Kashmir, Nepal, N Pakistan].

Distribution: Pakistan (N.W.F.P., Gilgit & Kashmir); Pamirs eastwards through the Himalayas to Nepal and Tibet.

3000-3700 m

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

Dry mountain slopes, alpine meadows; 3300–4900 m.

Oryzopsis gracilis (Mez) Pilger.