Themeda anathera (Nees ex Steud.) Hack.

This is a slender, Himalayan species similar to Themeda hookeri, but with a more western distribution. It has a more densely tufted habit than T. hookeri and can easily be distinguished by its more numerous, awnless, usually setose racemes of smaller spikelets.

Themeda anathera shows a great deal of variation in the indumentum of the spikelets. The involucral spikelets may be glabrous (var. glabrescens), or they may have submarginal tubercle-based hairs (var. submarginata of Grasses W. Pak. 1:126, original source unknown), or they may be dorsally tuberculate-ciliate (var. hirsute). Similarly the sessile and pedicelled spikelets may be puberulous or almost glabrous to densely tuberculate-ciliate especially on the margins; they may be the same or one hairy and the other not (the pedicelled spikelets do not necessarily lack the tubercle-based hairs as reported in Grasses W. Pak. 1:126).

Themeda anathera is a good fodder grass.

Perennial, with rhizomes. Culms densely tufted, slender, erect or ascending, 30–120 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous or loosely hairy; leaf blades narrow, 4–20 × 0.2–0.4 cm, scabrid, setose with scattered, long, tubercle-based hairs, apex filiform; ligule ca. 2 mm, margin ciliate. Compound panicle loose, open, branches ascending, bearing up to 5 small spathate racemes; spatheoles linear, 1–2 cm, glabrous; peduncle glabrous. Raceme composed of 1–3 spikelet pairs and a terminal triad above the involucre of 2 homogamous pairs. Homogamous spikelets arising at different levels, male or barren, 5–8 mm, lanceolate, sparsely to densely setose with tubercle-based bristles or sometimes glabrous. Sessile spikelet 5–7 mm; callus ca. 1 mm, obtuse; lower glume firmly herbaceous to subleathery, lightly dorsally compressed, puberulous or subglabrous to tuberculate-hairy; upper lemma narrowly lanceolate, awnless (rarely with reduced ca. 1 cm awn). Pedicelled spikelet 6–8 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Oct.

Densely tufted perennial with creeping rhizome; culms 30-120 cm high, erect or geniculately ascending. Leaf-blades flat, up to 30 cm long and 4 mm wide. False panicle 20-30 cm long, compound, loose, the racemes solitary or paired; spatheole 1.5-2 cm long, usually tinged with grey, red or purple, glabrous; raceme containing 2-4 fertile spikelets. Homogamous pairs separated by a short intemode 03-1 mm long; lower glume lanceolate, 5-8 mm long, glabrous to sparsely or densely tuberculate-ciliate. Sessile spikelet 5-7 mm long, dorsally compressed, with a blunt bearded callus c.l mm long; lower glume puberulous or subglabrous to tuberculate-ciliate especially on the keels; upper lemma lanceolate, hyaline, awnless. Pedicelled spikelet 6-8 mm long including the callus, puberulous to tuberculate-ciliate on the keels.

Afghanistan, W. Himalaya, Nepal.

Xizang [Afghanistan, N India, Nepal, Pakistan].

Distribution: Pakistan (Baluchistan, Punjab, N.W.F.P. & Kashmir). Afghanistan eastwards through the western Himalays.

700-2300 m

Fl. & Fr. Per. June-October.

Mountain slopes, usually in forests; 1500–3000 m.

Anthistiria anathera Nees ex Steudel, Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 402. 1854; Androscepia anathera (Nees ex Steudel) Andersson; A. anathera var. glabrescens Andersson; A. anathera var. hir-suta Andersson; Themeda anathera var. glabrescens (Andersson) Hackel; T. anathera var. hirsuta (Andersson) Hackel.