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.

Ichnanthus bambusiflorus

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect, or rambling; robust; 150–1000 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blade base cordate; without a false petiole, or with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 20–40 cm long; 20–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 8–20 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches 5–15 cm long. Panicle branches bearing congested spikelets.

Spikelets ascending; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; angular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; laterally compressed; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets. Floret callus winged; with apical wings shrivelled to concave scars; these appendages 0.5–1 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 4–5 mm long; 0.75–0.8 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex cuspidate. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 1 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pilose. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong, or ovate; 1 length of spikelet; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–3.5 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. Stieber.

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