Sasa mollissima

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 100–200 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled; distally glabrous, or pubescent; with reflexed hairs. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; glabrous; without auricles. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; spreading. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–20 cm long; 25–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; densely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; 5 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 40–50 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 5 mm long; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5 mm long; scarious; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 6 mm long; scarious; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 11 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 10 -veined. Palea keels ciliate; adorned above. Palea apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; ovate; 2.5 mm long; veined; ciliate; acute. Anthers 6; 8 mm long. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: eastern Asia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Ind. Jap. Bam. 2001.

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