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.

Chusquea decolorata

HABIT Perennial. Culms 1.5–3 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; 16–18.5 cm long; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement many; in a horizontal line. Culm-sheaths persistent; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 1.5–2 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.05–0.1 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades ascending; lanceolate; 3–5 cm long; 3–5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 2.5–3 cm long; 1–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose. Panicle axis pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–1.5 mm long; pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 8.5–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes both absent or obscure.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.3–0.4 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 5–7 -veined; pubescent. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.5–4 mm long; chartaceous; pubescent. Fertile lemma ovate; 8–8.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 9(–11) -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy above. Lemma apex acute, or apiculate. Palea 8 mm long; 6 -veined. Palea surface pubescent; hairy above. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 5 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 2006.

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