Merakan or merak grass (Themeda arguens) is a species of plant in the Poaceae family, an erect annual grass, growing up to 20-135 cm tall. The single leaves are ribbon-shaped, flat, with pointed tips, 5-30 cm long, 4-7 mm wide, and green.
T. arguens has fibrous roots. The stems are erect or somewhat recumbent, cylindrical, smooth, small, segmented, and dense, dark red, brown, yellowish, or green in color.
The flowers are compound in clusters at the tip or in the axils, with the spikelets protected by a sheath, lanceolate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, and purplish green. The flowers are bisexual, with 4 spikelets, 3 stamens, and 2 stigmas. The fruits are elliptical, nearly cylindrical, densely hairy, 8-10 mm long, green, and fall off with the stalk. The seeds are round, small, and black.
This species grows in open, sunny, and dry areas. It usually grows in clusters in savanna forests, teak forests, grasslands, roadsides, and embankments. It thrives in various soil types, including clay and limestone, at elevations up to 1,200 meters.
This plant is often used as animal feed, to treat back pain, and as a hair tonic and blood purifier.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Tribe: Andropogoneae
Subtribe: Anthistiriinae
Genus: Themeda Forssk. in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 178 (1775)
Species: Themeda arguens (L.) Hack. in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 6: 657 (1889)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Anthistiria arguens (L.) Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 4: 901 (1806)
Anthistiria ciliata var. major Thwaites in Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 366 (1864)
Stipa arguens L. in Sp. Pl., ed. 2.: 117 (1762)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Anthistiria arguens Nees in Fl. Afr. Austral. Ill.: 124 (1841)
Anthistiria ciliata var. glabrescens Buse in F.A.W.Miquel, Pl. Jungh., prepr.: 23 (1854)
Anthistiria ciliata var. junghuhniana Buse in F.A.W.Miquel, Fl. Ned. Ind. 3: 504 (1857)
Anthistiria frondosa R.Br. in Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland.: 200 (1810)
Anthistiria junghuhniana var. altior Andersson in Nova Acta Regiae Soc. Sci. Upsal., ser. 3, 2: 233 (1856)
Anthistiria junghuhniana var. minor Andersson (1856)
Anthistiria pilifera Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 400 (1854)
Aristaria barbata Jungh. in Tijdschr. Natuurl. Gesch. Physiol. 7: 297 (1840)
Stipa arguens Thunb. in Prodr. Pl. Cap.: 20 (1794), nom. illeg. homonym. post.
Themeda arguens var. balinensis Jansen in Acta Bot. Neerl. 1: 479 (1952)
Themeda arguens var. cochinchinensis A.Camus in Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 25: 670 (1919)
Themeda frondosa (R.Br.) Merr. in Interpr. Herb. Amboin.: 89 (1917)
PUBLICATIONS
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
Clayton, W.D. & Snow, N. (2010). A key to Pacific Grasses: 1-107. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 25: 1-781. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
Gilliland, H.B. (1971). A revised flora of Malaya 3: 1-319. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Singapore.
Henty, E.E. (1969). A manual of the grasses of New Guinea: 1-215. Division of Botany, Dpt. of Forests, LAE, New Guinea.
Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
Knapp, W.M. & Naczi, R.F.C. (2021). Vascular plants of Maryland, USA. A comprehensive account of the state's botanical diversity. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 113: 1-151.
Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590.
Middleton, D.J. & al. (eds.) (2019). Flora of Singapore 7: 1-525. Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.
Prasanna, P.V. & al. (eds.) (2024). Flora of India 32: 1-694. Botanical Survey of India.
Turner, I.M. (1995 publ. 1997). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(2): 347-655.
Veldkamp, J.F. (2016). A revision of Themeda (Gramineae) in Malesia with a new species from Laos. Blumea 61: 29-40.
VERNACULAR NAME
English: Merakan, Merak grass
Indonesian: Merakan, Rumput Merak
Java: Sukĕt mĕrak-mĕrakan, Sukĕt mĕrakan
Kangean: Curungceung
Madura: Rĕbha bhajhang-bhajhang, Rĕbha jhang-bhajhang, Rĕbha jhang pèlè, Rĕbha lampèjhang
Minang: Rumpuik suntiĕng putiĕh
Sasak: Rumput genung
Sunda: Kakasangan, Kasang beureum, Ramo kasang
Ternate: Tĕgalngana
Timor: Tebuna manèk
Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium