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 galeottiana

HABIT Perennial. Culms scandent; 1000–1500 cm long; 10–15 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 27–50 cm long; mid-green, or purple; smooth, or retrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Bud complement 100. Branch complement many; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 11–22 cm long; glabrous, or hispid. Culm-sheath ligule 3–4 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; deciduous; reflexed; 2.7–6 cm long; glabrous on surface. Leaves 4–6 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long; truncate, or obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.4 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 5.6–14.4 cm long; 8–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; 8–14 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2–4 cm long. Panicle axis angular; pubescent. Panicle branches angular; pubescent; with prominent pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 2–3 mm long; pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 8–14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; 0.05 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 5–6 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3 -veined; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 6.3–7.3 mm long; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 11.7–14.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 13–14 mm long; 6 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 7.5–8 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 1995.

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