Miscanthus floridulus
giant Chinese silvergrass, Pacific Island silvergrass
1.5-4 m tall, 8-16 mm thick below.
crowded at the base;
sheaths glabrous or sparsely pubescent, margins glabrous or ciliate;
ligules 1-3 mm;
blades 30-80 cm long, 15-40 mm wide, adaxial surfaces pubescent near the bases, glabrous elsewhere, midveins whitish, conspicuous both ab- and adaxially.
30-50 cm long, 10-20 cm wide, exserted, dense, ovoid-ellipsoid, white, usually with more than 15 branches;
rachises 25-40 cm, hispid-pubescent, 3/4 - 4/5 as long as the panicles;
branches 10-25 cm long, 8-10 mm wide, often branched at the base;
internodes 3-5 mm, glabrous.
3-3.5 mm, lanceolate to lance-ovate;
callus hairs 4-6 mm, to twice as long as the spikelets, white.
glabrous or puberulent distally;
awns of upper lemmas 5-15 mm, weakly geniculate.
pedicels 1-1.5 mm;
longer pedicels 2.5-3.5 mm, becoming somewhat recurved.
= 36, 38, 57.
Miscanthus floridulus
Miscanthus floridulus is the most widespread species of Miscanthus in southeast Asia. The culms are used for arrow-shafts in Papua New Guinea and as support and drying racks for climbing vegetables and tobacco in the Philippines. In North America it is grown as an ornamental. The blades of the lower leaves tend to fall off in late summer, leaving the culms naked at the base. It is tolerant of wind and salt spray.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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