Bambusa comillensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped moderately. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 500–1000 cm long; 30–50 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 30–40 cm long; dark green. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement several; with 1 branch dominant. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 11–16 cm long; 1 times as long as wide; yellow; pubescent; with tawny hairs; convex at apex; auriculate; with 1–2 mm high auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 5–10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; erect; 5–9 cm long; 50–80 mm wide; pubescent; acuminate. Leaves cauline; 8–10 per branch. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base symmetrical, or asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.8 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6–15 cm long; 10–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 12–14 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters, or leafless between branches.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; subterete; 10–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes two. Lower glume ovate. Upper glume ovate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 10–12 mm long; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 8–10 mm long; 11–13 -veined; 2-keeled. Palea keels ciliate; adorned above. Palea apex dentate; 3 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped; 1 in number.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; lanceolate, or ovate; 1–1.5 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 6. Stigmas 3; sparsely hairy, or retrorsely barbellate. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 5 mm long; hairy at apex.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bambuseae. Alam 2005.

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