Racemobambos glabra

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms leaning; 12 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 25–30 cm long; smooth; distally pruinose (below nodes). Culm-nodes flush with internodes. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with 1 branch dominant. Culm-sheaths deciduous; chartaceous; glabrous; truncate at apex; without auricles; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule entire. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; erect, or spreading; glabrous on surface. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 7–8 cm long; 3–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; bracteate at pedicel base.

Racemes 1; single; paucilateral; 2–3 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–4 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10–17 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Palea 10 mm long. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Bam Sabah 1996.

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