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.

Bambusa dolichoclada

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 600–2000 cm long; 40–110 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 20–60 cm long; mid-green; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement several; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; coriaceous; pubescent; with dark brown hairs; truncate at apex; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade triangular; 2 cm long; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaves 5–13 per branch. Leaf-sheaths 4–6 cm long; puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 9–18 cm long; 13–23 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6–8 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 spathaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 30–40 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 3–4 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; 2–4.5 mm long; 9–13 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 2–4.5 mm long; 9–13 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 9 mm long; 6 mm wide; without keel; 18–20 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma apex acute. Palea 8.5 mm long; 13 -veined. Palea keels ciliate; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; obovate; 2 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 4.5 mm long. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Lin. 2002.

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