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.

Chimonobambusa convoluta

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 200–300 cm long; 10–20 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; 12–16 cm long; mid-green; smooth; distally pubescent. Culm-nodes swollen; pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three; in a horizontal line; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; chartaceous; hispid; with tawny hairs; hairy on margins; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders, or ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade linear; erect; 1–2 cm long; glabrous on surface. Leaves cauline; 3–4 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; pubescent; hairs tawny; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; erect; 8–10 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear, or lanceolate; 16–20 cm long; 10–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 8–10 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; scanty (1–3 spikelets); with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 20–50 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3–7 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; membranous; without keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8.5 mm long; 6 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma hairs tawny. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 1.1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on back. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp. Endosperm evanescent.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Wen 1996.

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