Chusquea coronalis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; 300–500 cm long; 10 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; smooth. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement many; girdling the culm; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths without auricles. Leaves 1–2 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 1–2.5 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 2–10 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; linear; 2–4 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 4–7 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 5–5.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2–0.3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.2–0.3 mm long; 0.05 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 2.3–3.7 mm long; chartaceous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; ciliolate on margins; obtuse. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 2.7–3 mm long; chartaceous; obtuse. Fertile lemma ovate; 5–5.1 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 8–9 -veined. Lemma lateral veins ribbed. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea 5 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea keels approximate. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on flanks. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 3.2–3.5 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Costaric 1994.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Hair tuft under leaf base on 1 side of midrib.

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