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.

Schizostachyum brachycladum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; straight; 1000–1500 cm long; 60–80 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 20–50 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths persistent; coriaceous; pubescent; hairy throughout; with dark brown hairs, or red hairs; auriculate; setose on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; as wide as sheath at base; 5–8 cm long; pubescent; acuminate. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 20–40 cm long; 30–70 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; 1.5–2 cm long; 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 1–2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 20–24 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 11 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 0.3–0.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 11 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 10–12 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 15 -veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea; ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 1.1 length of lemma; chartaceous; 11–13 -veined; without keels. Palea surface pubescent. Rhachilla extension 0.8–0.9 length of fertile floret.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 4 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 6; 6 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; oblong.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Lin.

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