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.

Dendrocalamus membranaceus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–1800 cm long; 60–100 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several. Culm-sheaths 7–15 cm long; coriaceous; hispid; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; with 10 mm high auricles; with 20 mm wide auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 10–15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; 2.5–3.5 cm long; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths hispid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 10 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 1–1.2 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong, or ovate; 20–35 cm long; 40–60 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 24–36 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; 0.5–0.75 cm long; dense; glabrous on internodes; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between branches.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 4–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 3 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 3.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 3–4 mm long; chartaceous; keeled. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Palea oblong; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; anther tip apiculate. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1; pubescent. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 2002.

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