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.

Aulonemia aristulata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; 60–300 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary. Culm-sheaths persistent. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar pubescent. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades spreading; lanceolate; 10–19 cm long; 12–23 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 15–45 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches angular; scabrous; with insignificant pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets subterete; 12–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pubescent; hairy at tip.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.3–0.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–3 mm long overall. Palea 0.8–0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on back. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Cat.

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