Ischaemum mistryi (Poaceae: Andropogoneae): A new remarkable species from Sub-Tropical Evergreen Forest, India

Ischaemum mistryi, a new species from the Sub-Tropical evergreen forest of Tilari Ghat, Maharashtra, India, is described and illustrated. This grass is unique with its leaves drooping, mostly congregated near the base, basal sheath villous, culms compressed at the base, lower glume of the sessile spikelet linear-lanceolate to oblongish tapering and slightly curled upwards, without a sub-apical ridge, nodules absent (if present 2–4 obscure) on its keels, and upper lemma of sessile spikelet bi-partite. Morphologically it is somewhat similar to I. mangaluricum, I. travancorense and I. barbatum. We provided a table of its detailed comparison with close species as mentioned above. According to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, we have assessed this new species as Critically Endangered (CR). The photo plates and illustration of the grass are given to facilitate its proper identification. A short discussion is also provided at the end.

Genetic dissection of QTLs associated with spikelet-related traits and grain size in sorghum

Although spikelet-related traits such as size of anther, spikelet, style, and stigma are associated with sexual reproduction in grasses, no QTLs have been reported in sorghum. Additionally, there are only a few reports on sorghum QTLs related to grain size, such as grain length, width, and thickness. In this study, we performed QTL analyses of nine spikelet-related traits (length of sessile spikelet, pedicellate spikelet, pedicel, anther, style, and stigma; width of sessile spikelet and stigma; and stigma pigmentation) and six grain-related traits (length, width, thickness, length/width ratio, length/thickness ratio, and width/thickness ratio) using sorghum recombinant inbred lines. We identified 36 and 7 QTLs for spikelet-related traits and grain-related traits, respectively, and found that most sorghum spikelet organ length- and width-related traits were partially controlled by the dwarf genes Dw1 and Dw3. Conversely, we found that these Dw genes were not strongly involved in the regulation of grain size. The QTLs identified in this study aid in understanding the genetic basis of spikelet- and grain-related traits in sorghum.

A new species of Parahyparrhenia (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) from India

Parahyparrhenia khannae, a new species of Andropogoneae (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) from the grassland of Ratlam and Jhabua districts of Madhya Pradesh, India is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to the Indian endemic species P. bellariensis in having dorsal groove in lower glume of sessile spikelet, but differs in having shorter plant height, lacerate membranous ligule, shorter leaf blade and raceme length, fewer homogamous spikelets, shorter sessile spikelet and anther length.

Specimen-based analysis of morphology and the environment in ecologically dominant grasses: the power of the herbarium

Herbaria contain a cumulative sample of the world's flora, assembled by thousands of people over centuries. To capitalize on this resource, we conducted a specimen-based analysis of a major clade in the grass tribe Andropogoneae, including the dominant species of the world's grasslands in the genera Andropogon , Schizachyrium , Hyparrhenia and several others. We imaged 186 of the 250 named species of the clade, georeferenced the specimens and extracted climatic variables for each. Using semi- and fully automated image analysis techniques, we extracted spikelet morphological characters and correlated these with environmental variables. We generated chloroplast genome sequences to correct for phylogenetic covariance and here present a new phylogeny for 81 of the species. We confirm and extend earlier studies to show that Andropogon and Schizachyrium are not monophyletic. In addition, we find all morphological and ecological characters are homoplasious but variable among clades. For example, sessile spikelet length is positively correlated with awn length when all accessions are considered, but when separated by clade, the relationship is positive for three sub-clades and negative for three others. Climate variables showed no correlation with morphological variation in the spikelet pair; only very weak effects of temperature and precipitation were detected on macrohair density. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biological collections for understanding biodiversity in the Anthropocene'.

A new species of Themeda (Poaceae: Panicoideae) from the Eastern Ghats, India

Themeda odishae (Poaceae), a new species from the Mahendragiri hill ranges, Odisha (Orissa), India, is described and illustrated. It differs from T. mooneyi in shorter and hairy leaf blades, longer peduncle, length of sessile spikelet callus, number of pedicelled spikelets, and longer anthers. And from T. saxicola by its longer peduncle, number of racemes, number of pedicelled spikelets and hairy involucral spikelets.

Morphogenesis of the spikelets and inflorescence of Andropogon gerardii Vit. (Gramineae) and the relationship between form, information theory, and thermodynamics

The spikelets of Andropogon gerardii occur in pairs, one sessile and one pedicellate. The first glume of the sessile spikelet is bikeeled. The fertile lemma of the sessile spikelet is awned and the awn develops after the lemma has been initiated. The paleas of both spikelets initiate at two positions, are bikeeled, and, on occasion, are two-parted as a result of an interrupted zone of initiation. Each functional lodicule of A. gerardii is developmentally similar to one keel of the palea that has become thickened as a result of activity of an adaxial meristem. The spikelet pairs develop from one primordium. At early stages, spikelet pair primordia about each other along the inflorescence axis and the spikelets of a pair are not separated by a pedicel. The pedicel and the axis of the inflorescence develop through intercalary growth. Differences between appendages in the spikelet of A. gerardii can be viewed as the result of differing amounts of developmental activity (apical growth, marginal meristem, adaxial meristem) common to phyllomic structures. These common developmental activities are, in turn, the result of certain patterns of cell division and cell growth. The evolution of form thus results from alteration of common developmental events. When viewed in such a manner, the evolution of form is seen to be the modification of the informational entropy in an organism. With evolution, there are increases and decreases in informational entropy but, generally speaking, more complex organisms have higher entropy.