GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Acidosasa purpurea

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect at the tip; 300–1000 cm long; 20–80 mm diam.; woody; 20–22 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 20–45 cm long; mid-green, or purple; distally mealy. Culm-nodes swollen. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement three. Culm-sheaths deciduous; coriaceous; hispid; with tawny hairs; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 1–2 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; demarcated but persistent; erect; glabrous on surface. Leaves 4–7 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–4 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.8 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 12–21 cm long; 12–26 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6–14 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence comprising only a few spikelets; comprising 1–3 fertile spikelets.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels 0–23 mm long; pubescent; hairy above.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 19–92 mm long; 3–7 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 2–5 mm long; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 7–11 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 11–15 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 15–20 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 6–11 mm long. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; veined; glabrous. Anthers 6; 4–5 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Hsueh & Yi 2002.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.