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.

Dendrocalamus bambusoides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 700–1500 cm long; 60–80 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 26–34 cm long; distally mealy. Culm-nodes flush with internodes. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with 3 branches dominant. Culm-sheaths tardily deciduous, or deciduous; 20–26 cm long; 1.5 times as long as wide; coriaceous; glabrous, or pilose; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; as wide as sheath at base; erect; glabrous on surface; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 14–17 cm long; 8–16 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 10–12 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; with spathaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 8–16 mm long; 3–5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure, or two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 5–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute; mucronate. Upper glume ovate; 5–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 7–13 mm long; 4–7 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea 6–14 mm long; chartaceous; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 4–6 mm long. Filaments 20 mm long. Stigmas 1.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Hsueh & Li 2002.

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