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.

Indosasa ingens

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 200–600 cm long; 30–50 mm diam.; woody; 15 -noded. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–40 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement three. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 12–24 cm long; 1.5 times as long as wide; coriaceous; hispid; with tawny hairs; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 1–1.5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; narrower than sheath; reflexed; 2–5 cm long; 8–20 mm wide; glabrous on surface. Leaves 4–10 per branch. Leaf-sheaths 5–12 cm long; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base cuneate; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 12–24 cm long; 25–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 12–14 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; paniculate; lax; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 45–200 mm long; 5–8 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 4–8 mm long; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 7–10 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 9–13 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 14–18 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel; 14–18 -veined. Lemma lateral veins without cross-veins. Lemma apex acute; awned. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 3.5 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 6–10 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 8 mm long; light brown.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Hsueh & Yi 2002.

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