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.

Chusquea depauperata

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; 100–130 cm long; 3–5 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 5.5–6.5 cm long; yellow; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid; intravaginal. Bud complement 7–9. Branch complement several; in a horizontal line; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 4.3–5 cm long; smooth; glabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5–1 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; narrower than sheath; deciduous; erect; 1.5 cm long. Leaves 4–8 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.05 cm long. Leaf-blades erect, or ascending; lanceolate; 3.4–5.5 cm long; 2–5 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation with 13–15 secondary veins; with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle spiciform; linear; secund; 6–7.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2–3 cm long. Panicle axis flat; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 1–6 mm long; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; curved; laterally compressed; 4.4–5.7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes both absent or obscure.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 2.1–2.5 mm long; 0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 2.6–2.8 mm long; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 4.4–4.8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 4–4.3 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 1995.

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