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 maculata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; pendulous at the tip; 1500 cm long; 40–70 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 30–35 cm long; white and brown; mottled; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; arising from lower culm. Bud complement 1. Branch complement several; in a clump; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 15–16 cm long; 1 times as long as wide; convex at apex; auriculate; with 4–4.5 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 14–15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high; entire. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect, or spreading; 6.5–8.2 cm long; 35–45 mm wide. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; erose. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 22.5–38 cm long; 10–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. 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 10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 19–28 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 1–3 mm long; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; 3–4 mm long. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 6–14 mm long; without keel. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex acute. Palea 4–11 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex acute. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2–3 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 6; 8 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous, or with a few apical hairs.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Widjaja 2002.

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