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Descriptions

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

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

Cephalostachyum virgatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 5–10 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 45–60 cm long; dark green; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 15–20 cm long; 0.9 times as long as wide; hispid; with appressed hairs; with yellow hairs; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade narrowly ovate; cordate; reflexed; 10–12 cm long; hispid. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined. 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, or oblong; 15–30 cm long; 30–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 20 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 oblong clusters; lax; with spathaceous 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. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 12–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea chartaceous. Palea keels approximate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid; with excurrent keel veins.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1996.

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