Dendrocalamus elegans

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; drooping at the tip; 300–600 cm long; 10–25 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 26–35 cm long; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths deciduous. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; acuminate. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane; entire. Leaf-blade base cuneate, or broadly rounded; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.05–0.15 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6–12 cm long; 6–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; densely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 8 mm long; 1.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes several; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous; 4 -veined; without keels, or 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 2.5 mm long. Stigmas 1; plumose. Ovary umbonate; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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