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 latifolium

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; drooping at the tip; 300–500 cm long; 15–25 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 35–55 cm long; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths 12–14 cm long; green, or brown; pubescent; with appressed hairs; with white hairs; auriculate; with 3–5 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 5–10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1–1.5 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade linear, or lanceolate; spreading, or reflexed; 6–9 cm long; 12–17 mm wide. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 4–7 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4–0.8 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 25–40 cm long; 30–70 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; 10–25 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 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 22–30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several. Upper glume ovate. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 16–18 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.5–3 mm long overall. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 18–20 mm long; chartaceous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; awns 1.5–3 mm long. Rhachilla extension 4–7 mm long. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3, or several (3–10); 5–7 mm long. Anthers 6; 9–10 mm long; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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