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.

Chusquea inamoena

HABIT Perennial. Culms scandent; pendulous at the tip; 700–900 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; 10–13 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–8.5 cm long; 5–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade venation with 6 secondary veins. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; subtended by an inflated leaf-sheath; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open; linear; 5–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 1–2 cm long. Panicle axis angular; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 6–6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblate; 0.5–1 mm long; 0.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 5 -veined; obscurely veined; setaceously attenuate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3–3.5 mm long; chartaceous; setaceously attenuate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 6–6.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma apex acute. Palea elliptic; 1 length of lemma; 4–6 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Pilger 2001.

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