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.

Ochlandra keralensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 200–300 cm long; 16–22 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 45–65 cm long; yellow. Culm-nodes swollen. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths persistent; 12–18 cm long; chartaceous; pubescent; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade linear; pubescent. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 12 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base truncate; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.6 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 22–30 cm long; 25–38 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade venation with 16–20 secondary veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; subterete; 20–24 mm long; 4–6 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes several; comprising 2 gemmiferous bracts; 3 empty glumes; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 14–24 mm long. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 20–22 mm long; 8–10 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 20–36 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 14–15 mm long; 15–25 -veined; without keels. Palea apex ciliate.

FLOWER Lodicules several (4); 6–8 mm long; membranous; veined. Anthers 30–56; 9 mm long; yellow. Filaments free. Stigmas 7. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage (40–55 mm); glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; ovoid; 85–95 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bambuseae. Muktesh et al 2005.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Palea without cross-veins.

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