Aulonemia effusa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 150 cm long; 5 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary. Culm-sheaths deciduous; setose on shoulders. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–15 cm long; 20–25 mm wide; mid-green and glaucous; discolorous with last colour beneath. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; globose; effuse; 40 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1 -nate; 20–30 cm long. Panicle branches smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; subterete; 20–30 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas; scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 6 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 7–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1.5 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 3; 3 mm long. Stigmas 2.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Hackel 1997.

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