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.

Otatea fimbriata

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 250–600 cm long; 10–40 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; distally pruinose. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths pilose; with appressed hairs; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 7–15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; narrower than sheath; 10–20 cm long; 5–17 mm wide; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaves 2–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths hirsute. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 10–18 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.4–2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear, or lanceolate; 20–35 cm long; 10–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless throughout, or except near base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; 10–15 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 10–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 2.5–4 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; 5–7 mm long; herbaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume apex setaceously attenuate. Upper glume ovate; 7–9.5 mm long; herbaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 9–13 mm long; herbaceous; without keel; 9–11 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–4 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3; 4.5–5 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 6.4–6.8 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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