Melica schuetzeana W. Hempel

This species is similar to Melica onoei, but can be distinguished by its longer ligules, narrower leaf blades, broader spikelets with purple glumes, and ciliolate palea keels.

Perennial. Culms 80–110 cm tall, 2–3 mm in diam., many-noded. Leaves all cauline; leaf sheaths usually longer than internodes, retrorsely scabrid on veins, basal sheaths purplish; leaf blades stiff, 15–30 cm × 3–6 mm, abaxial surface scabrid, adaxial surface scaberulous; ligule cylindrical, 1–4 mm, soon splitting. Panicle open, up to 35 cm; branches whorled, distant, ascending or spreading, branched, up to 12 cm, spikelets diffuse. Spikelets elliptic, 6–8 mm, glumes purple, florets pale green, fertile florets 2 or 3, 1 smaller sterile floret raised on ca. 2 mm internode; glumes unequal, clearly shorter than adjacent florets, lower glume narrowly ovate, 2.8–4 mm, upper glume lanceolate-oblong, 4.5–6.5 mm, both acute; lemmas elliptic-oblong, lowest 5–6.5 mm, herbaceous, granular-scaberulous, 5–7-veined, midvein extending to apex, apex membranous, emarginate; palea keels scabrid, ciliolate near apex. Anthers 1.1–1.8 mm. Fl. Jul–Aug.

Qinghai, Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan].

Forest margins; 3200–3500 m.