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 tomentosus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect, or leaning; pendulous at the tip; 1500–2000 cm long; 90–120 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; 29–55 cm long; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths deciduous; coriaceous; pubescent; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 5–7 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; spreading, or reflexed; acuminate. Leaves 5–8 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 25–34 cm long; 25–42 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 16–22 secondary veins. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; 0.7–1.1 cm long; 1.2 cm between clusters; pubescent on internodes; 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 4–5 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 5.5 mm long; 4.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure, or two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 4–5 mm long; 4–6 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 4 mm long; chartaceous; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 2.5–3 mm long; yellow; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 1.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Hsueh & Li 2002.

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