Cephalostachyum pergracile

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–3000 cm long; 50–75 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–45 cm long; glaucous. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 10–15 cm long; 0.9–1 times as long as wide; brown; hispid; with black hairs; auriculate; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 7–12 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade ovate; cordate; 5 cm long; pubescent; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty; deciduous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–35 cm long; 25–32 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 14–26 secondary veins; with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; antrorsely scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 12–18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 12–18 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–3 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; chartaceous. Palea keels approximate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid; with excurrent keel veins. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; purple; anther tip smooth. Filaments free. Stigmas 2–3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; oblong, or obovoid; 12.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1996.

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