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.

Fargesia brevipes

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms woody. Culm-internodes terete; 8 cm long; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; in a horizontal line; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Leaf-sheaths hispid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; erect and deciduous; 2–3 mm long; dark. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2.5–5.5 cm long; 3–4.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 4–6 secondary veins; with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole 2.5 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; bearing 4–6 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes flattened; clavate; 4.5 mm long; pilose.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 6 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8 mm long; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume surface hispid; hairy above. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 9–11 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy at base. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex setaceously attenuate. Palea 9 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on back; hairy above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2.5 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. McClure 2002.

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