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 glomerata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 100–150 cm long; 8 mm diam.; 12 -noded; without nodal roots, or with prop roots. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; smooth. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 8 mm long; with a secondary abaxial membrane (20 mm long). Leaf-blade base with a false petiole; petiole 10 cm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear; 150 cm long; 40–50 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bracteate at branch bases.

Panicle open; pyramidal; 80 cm long; 20 cm wide; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches with prominent pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 5.5–6.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.3–1.6 mm long; coriaceous; 1-keeled. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 2–2.3 mm long; coriaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 2.6 mm long; coriaceous; ciliolate on margins; obtuse. Lemma of upper sterile floret 3.6–4 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; 5.5–6.3 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; coriaceous; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Swallen 1996.

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