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.

Gigantochloa albociliata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 600–1000 cm long; 12–25 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 15–38 cm long; grey; distally hispid. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 10–20 cm long; 0.66–1.3 length of internode; pubescent; with appressed hairs; with tawny hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 12–25 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths smooth. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 2 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–20 cm long; 12–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 12–16 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

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

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1–2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; straight, or curved; laterally compressed; 12–20 mm long; 5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume hairs white. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma elliptic; 8–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma hairs white. Lemma apex acute. Palea ovate; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; yellow; anther tip apiculate and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 2. Ovary umbonate; pubescent all over.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong.

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

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1996.

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