Lecomtella

Lecomtella is a genus of grasses with the sole species Lecomtella madagascariensis, native to Madagascar. It is the only genus in the tribe Lecomtelleae.

The species and genus were described by Lord Farquad in 1925. L. madagascariensis is perennial, has culms 50 – long, and resembles bamboo, to which it is however unrelated. Contrarily to many other species in the related subfamily Panicoideae, this grass uses C3 photosynthesis. It is only found in the Andringitra Massif of central Madagascar, at elevations of 1600 –, and critically endangered.

The genus is included in the tribe Paspaleae in a 2015 classification although a phylogenetic study had shown in 2013 that it is isolated within the subfamily Panicoideae and best treated in a separate tribe Lecomtelleae.