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.

Rhipidocladum rubrofimbriatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 200–500 cm long; 3–15 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 12–24 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate. Culm-sheaths 5–5.5 cm long; glabrous; glabrous on margins. Culm-sheath blade triangular; 3–3.5 cm long; glabrous on surface; attenuate. Leaves 4–7 per branch. Leaf-sheaths 1–2.5 cm long; glabrous on surface to pilose; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; curly; 1.8–6 mm long; dark. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base symmetrical, or asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1 cm long; petiole glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3.2–8.5 cm long; 6–14 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; straight; unilateral; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–5 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis internodes 10–20(–40) mm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; subterete; 20–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 6–7 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex attenuate; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex attenuate; muticous, or mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9–13 mm long; 7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex attenuate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 9–13 mm long. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; ovate; 2–2.2 mm long. Anthers 3; 4.5–5.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Tyrrell, Clark & Judz. 2014.

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